BOSTON (WHDH) - A Malden man accused of breaking a car’s windshields and injuring a 1-year-old child in the process was in court on Wednesday.
Clifford Jones, 66, was in a Boston courtroom for his pre-trial hearing, two weeks after he was arraigned for allegedly smashing a vehicle’s windows following an apparent fender bender.
Boston police say his arrest on July 18 came after officers were first called around 6:15 a.m. for a possible hit-and-run accident on Camden Street in the city’s South End.
Locating the victim, police learned that the suspect, later identified as Jones, allegedly backed into the victim’s car, leading to a verbal argument.
While both parties were arguing outside of their vehicles after checking for damage, the victim said Jones retrieved a baseball bat and started smashing the victim’s front and back windshields.
Inside of the car was the victim’s 1-year-old daughter, who suffered cuts and lacerations as glass rained down on her while she sat in the back seat. She was later transported to Boston Medical Center for treatment after officers arrived.
According to a news release from the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, a witness corroborated the victim’s story and the victim pointed officers in Jones’s direction.
He was later found by police and claimed he fled the area because he feared for his safety, stating that the victim chased him for several blocks.
“Another witness told officers both vehicles were seen operating at a high speed, running through red lights, and driving the wrong way on one-way streets chasing each other,” the news release stated.
Officials also found an aluminum bat at the scene, in addition to “hundreds of packs of cigarettes affixed with New Hampshire tax stamps, along with various nicotine and THC oil cartridges and packages of marijuana” in Jones’s vehicle.
Jones was initially arraigned that day on charges that included assault and battery with a dangerous weapon on a child under 14, malicious destruction of property, possession of a class D substance, selling unstamped cigarettes, and selling cigarettes without a license.
The defendant was ordered held on $7,500 bail, which he later made. Jones is expected back in court in September.
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