New Hampshire man facing assault charges for pointing air rifle at several people

BOSTON, August 7, 2024 - A New Hampshire man was arraigned in Dorchester BMC for pointing an air rifle at three people, including a 5-year-old girl, in Mattapan on Monday, Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced.    

SALVADOR MALDONADO, 50, of Manchester, was charged Tuesday with three counts of assault with a dangerous weapon.

Judge Vanessa Velez set bail at $1,500 and revoked Maldonado’s bail on a pending case out of Lowell. Judge Velez also ordered Maldonado to be evaluated by a court clinician, who determined that hospitalization was unnecessary.

Maldonado is due back in court on September 5 for a pre-trial hearing.

At about 6:56 pm on August 5, Boston police responded to a radio call for a person with a gun on Morton Village Drive. The caller reported that she stopped at a red light on Corbet Street and saw a man, later identified as Maldonado, in a dark colored vehicle stopped next to her. Maldonado aimed what the victim described as a brown shotgun directly at her and her five-year-old daughter. The victim immediately fled.  She told police that Maldonado’s vehicle had an out-of-state license plate.

While officers met with the victim, other officers responded to Burt Street for another call of a person with a gun. The caller reported seeing a man, later identified as Maldonado, walking up and down the street with a rifle. The caller reported hearing three popping sounds and people yelling.  She told officers that Maldonado pointed a rifle at her before entering a blue Honda Pilot.

Officers located Maldonado inside a blue Honda Pilot bearing New Hampshire license plates. Officers observed a brown Sig Sauer MCX 177 airsoft rifle on the vehicle’s front passenger seat. Officers placed Maldonado under arrest without incident.

“To be going about your daily routines and then see someone point a gun at you is a terribly frightening experience. I’m very proud of these victims for immediately contacting police and providing them solid identifying information. Their actions may have prevented a more dangerous outcome here,” Hayden said.

All charged individuals are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden’s office serves the communities of Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop, Mass. The office handles over 20,000 cases a year. More than 160 attorneys in the office practice in nine district and municipal courts, Suffolk Superior Court, the Massachusetts Appeals Court, the Supreme Judicial Court, and the Boston Juvenile Courts. The office employs some 300 people and offers a wide range of services and programs to serve anyone who comes in contact with the criminal justice system. This office is committed to educating the public about the services we provide, our commitment to crime prevention, and our dedication to keeping the residents of Suffolk County safe.

James Borghesani, Chief of Communications