State Police say man threw baby to the ground before fleeing troopers

By Melissa M. Werthmann, Globe Correspondent

A Springfield man in possession of a stolen gun threw a baby to the ground after police approached him Tuesday night, State Police said.

Officers located Edwin Perez, 24, after a concerned citizen told police that Perez had a firearm, police said in a statement.

The suspect was sitting and holding a baby on Plainfield Street in Springfield when troopers approached him, police said.

Perez allegedly threw the infant to the ground and fled on foot, police said. While he was running, Perez discarded a loaded 9mm Smith & Wesson handgun.

Troopers recovered the gun and determined it had been stolen from Hartford, Conn., police said.

Perez was arrested and charged with unlawful possession of a firearm, possession of a stolen firearm, resisting arrest, assault and battery on a police officer, and disorderly conduct.

State Police are investigating Perez for potential charges of assault and battery on the infant.

The officers who arrested Perez are part of the C-3 Policing Initiative, a partnership between state troopers and the Western Massachusetts Gang Task Force, including police from Springfield, West Springfield, Holyoke, Chicopee, the Hampden County sheriff’s office, and the FBI.