Accused Drunk Driver Nearly Hits Police Officers Outside Fenway Park
BOSTON (CBS) – An accused drunk driver is being held without bail after police say he nearly hit several people and at least two officers outside of Fenway Park late Wednesday night.
Prosecutors say 58-year-old John Jumper was speeding on Brookline Avenue around 11 p.m. after the Red Sox game ended when he lost control of his Ford Explorer, went against traffic and up onto the sidewalk near the Buckminster Hotel. Authorities say he continued on towards Fenway Park.
According to the police report, an officer caught up to the SUV outside of the Cask n' Flagon and told Jumper to take the keys out of the ignition.
"The driver of the vehicle shook his head, rambled an incoherent sentence and attempted to strike (the officer) with the vehicle by turning left in an attempt to flee the scene," the report stated, adding that the officer was nearly hit.
Another officer joined the chase and the Explorer stopped for a moment outside Boston Beer Works.
"The vehicle then drove on the sidewalk causing pedestrians and patrons to leap out of the way in order to avoid being hit," investigators said in their report. Jumper then ran several red lights, headed toward Brookline, police said, before he was finally stopped there and arrested.
Officers say they found malt liquor in his Explorer and later learned the SUV didn't belong to him. They also discovered Jumper had a suspended license.
He was arraigned Thursday in Roxbury District Court on a long list of charges, including drunk driving for the third time.
Jumper is being held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing on July 2.
