Police: Nine arrested, three guns seized in closing-time gang melees outside Theater District club

Ed. note: Story corrected to note police did not allege the people with guns were inside the club.

Boston Police report the street outside Bijou, 51 Stuart St., was packed with Dorchester gang members at closing time early this morning - and some of them came ready for trouble with loaded guns.

Police say what turned into more than an hour of violence that brought police officers from across the city started around 2 a.m., when gang-unit members spotted a pair of alleged Dorchester gang members just waiting outside, seeming to look for somebody in the departing crowd as they held their waists as if they were packing guns.

As officers approached they saw the demeanor of both men intensify as they quickly began to look back and forth while continuing to grab at their waistbands. When officers got close, both of the suspects attempted to run and two violent struggles simultaneously broke out. One officer was able to quickly subdue [a 16-year-old] after a brief foot chase and bring him to the ground where after gaining control of him, the officer removed a loaded Kel Tec .380 ACP handgun from his waist band area. As that was happening, [Randall] Mastin was attempting to push past officers and pulled out a loaded Taurus 9mm handgun which fell to the ground during the struggle. Mastin proved to be a challenge for the officers as it took in excess of five minutes to place him in custody with three officers sustaining minor injuries.

Around 2:25 a.m., with a large crowd still milling about, "a wild fight broke out," in front of the club, police say.

Motor vehicle traffic crawled to a standstill on Tremont Street as a large group of young men pushed, punched and kicked each other in a violent affray which spilled out from the sidewalk and onto the street. Officers were able to quickly gain control of the volatile situation, placing six suspects in custody and dispersing the angry crowd that had continued to grow and gather around the combatants. One officer sustained a minor injury during the chaos and was transported to a local hospital by ambulance for treatment.

Around 2:42 a.m., the portion of the crowd that had not been arrested finally began to disperse, police say, adding gang-unit members on scene spotted several alleged gang members they might want to have a chat with:

[They] learned that one of the men, Mario Barros, 26, of Dorchester, may be armed with a gun. Officers followed Barros to 830 Washington Street where they approached and attempted to pat frisk him. When an officer felt a gun on the suspect, a struggle immediately ensued but officers were able to prevail, taking a .22 Caliber Smith & Wesson handgun out of the suspect’s waist band while placing him in custody.

Innocent, etc.