Visit to Boston turns harrowing

Ohio officer hurt as van is stolen

A University of Dayton police officer drove to Boston from Ohio with his wife and two daughters to look at colleges for his eldest. They had pulled into the parking lot of the Courtyard Marriott in South Boston on Tuesday and stood behind their minivan to unload luggage when a man they assumed was a hotel valet got into the driver's side.

It quickly became apparent he was not a valet. The engine roared, the tires squealed, and the officer realized that the man was trying to steal it.

According to a police report, the officer, whose name was not released by police, lunged and grabbed the inside of the driver's door in an attempt to stop the theft. He was dragged several feet before he lost his grip and rolled onto the pavement.

The officer's service gun was in the vehicle, and the thief, later identified as 38-year-old Ricardo Feliciano Jr. of Waltham, tore through South Boston, committing a string of felonies in the course of an hour, culminating in a home invasion, prosecutors said. Yesterday morning he was arraigned in South Boston District Court on charges of car theft, assault and battery, armed robbery, home invasion, and several firearm charges.

Feliciano's lawyer, William Gens, entered a plea of not guilty on his client's behalf, arguing "I strongly believe there are underlying mental health and drug dependency issues here." Feliciano, dressed in an orange T-shirt, stood behind a partition in the courtroom, occasionally grimacing as a prosecutor read the report detailing the crime spree.

Feliciano was held on $200,000 cash bail and ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation. By 4:30 p.m. yesterday, the evaluation had been completed and Feliciano was deemed competent to stand trial. He is scheduled to return to court on Nov. 14 for a pretrial hearing.

Gens said his client has had several convictions, including larceny in Framingham in 1990 and armed robbery a year later in Middlesex County in which he was sentenced to 14 to 20 years.

According to a police report, Feliciano drove the minivan a short distance and struck a large granite block, causing a tire to burst and several items to fall out of the vehicle. Police found the van parked in front of 10 Bellflower St. A witness told police the suspect ran into the yard of 14 Bellflower St. Police searched for the suspect, and at 8:02 p.m., police rushed to 813 Dorchester Ave. to respond to a call of a man with a gun at that address.

An adult female occupant at that address later told police that a man had knocked on her door and requested that she move her car because he had a large truck that needed to turn around. The suspect then walked into her house, stated "don't you scream," and lifted his T-shirt to reveal a gun tucked in his waistband, she told police. The suspect demanded the woman's car keys and grabbed her 12-year-old daughter, stating "she's coming with me," according to police. The girl broke free, according to the police report, and the suspect fled in the woman's red Jeep Liberty.

About five minutes later, a police officer noticed the Jeep traveling on Columbia Road, near Uphams Corner. As the suspect approached the intersection of Stoughton and Pleasant streets, he began to accelerate. The Jeep hit another car and moments later crashed into a traffic light and mailbox. Police said Feliciano ran from the car but was caught moments later. Feliciano repeated "I don't have the gun" to the arresting officers, according to the report.

Police found the Ohio officer's 9mm handgun, which was loaded, at 27 Thomley St. The officer was treated for several injuries to his right side. He remained in Boston yesterday, according to officials with the University of Dayton Department of Public Safety.