Chief Ronald Giorgetti
27 Hamilton Street
Saugus, MA 01906
For Immediate Release
Thursday, Jan. 3, 2019
Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net
Saugus Police Arrest Man After Shots Fired at Hotel
SAUGUS — Chief Ronald Giorgetti reports that the Saugus Police Department arrested a man yesterday after shots were fired inside a hotel earlier this week.
DANTONIO THORTON, AGE 39, OF REVERE is charged with:
- Discharging a Firearm within 500 Feet of a Building
- Possession of a Firearm Without a License (Third Offense)
- Malicious Destruction of Property Over $1,200.
On Tuesday, Jan. 1, at approximately 2 p.m., Saugus Police received a 911 call from an employee at WoodSpring Suites Signature Boston North, 832 Broadway, who reported hearing gun shots inside one of the rooms.
Upon arrival to the scene, police spoke with the employee and located a bullet hole through the door to one of the rooms where the gun shots were heard.
Police were able to identify THORTON as the man staying in the room. Shortly thereafter, Lynn District Court granted an arrest warrant for THORTON.
On Jan. 2, at 8:50 p.m., an Ipswich Police detective and Somerville Police detective, working with Saugus Police on the case, identified THORTON entering the Town Line Inn Motel in Malden.
Saugus Police, with assistance from the Malden Police SWAT team and Medford Police, established a perimeter around the motel. Members of the Malden SWAT team entered the hotel and placed THORTON under arrest without incident.
Inside the hotel room, police recovered a 9mm semi-automatic pistol with defaced serial numbers.
“I would like to recognize the Saugus Police Department patrol division and criminal investigation division for their dedication and persistence in identifying, locating and placing this suspect under arrest,” Chief Giorgetti said. “A special thank you to the Massachusetts State Police and the Malden, Medford, Somerville and Ipswich Police Departments for their assistance with removing this dangerous man from the streets.”
The incident remains under investigation by the Saugus Police Department, however a preliminary investigation indicates that THORTON accidentally discharged his firearm inside the hotel room.
THORTON is scheduled to be arraigned in Lynn District Court today.
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