GREENFIELD — Police officers descended on Olive Street and arrested a man on a charge of attempted murder after a brief foot pursuit following a report of a man with a gun.
Just before 2 p.m. Friday, at least four police cruisers flew down Hope Street with lights flashing, turned right onto Olive Street and pulled into the parking lot of the Franklin County Registry of Deeds, where they arrested Emmerit Kiner, 34, of Waltham at gunpoint. Among the charges is attempted murder with an illegal firearm.
Eyewitnesses on Main Street, who declined to be named, said the chase started after some sort of altercation near Shaws Market between two men.
Greenfield Deputy Chief Mark Williams said the police foot pursuit started when two officers, on walking patrol behind Town Hall, saw two men running toward them from Veterans Park. Williams said they heard one of the men shout something about a gun.
According to a statement posted on the department’s Facebook page, when the two men were running toward them both officers saw “what appeared to be a firearm” in Kiner’s waistband.
Williams said the two officers chased Kiner across Court Square, down Bank Row, and into the parking lot behind 32 Olive St.
Nine Greenfield Police officers, a police dog, and a few detectives converged on the parking lot and officers arrested Kiner at gunpoint. They found a gun nearby, which Williams said was stolen in Indiana.
Williams commended the bravery of the two officers and said if they hadn’t reacted as quickly as they did, the pursuit “could have ended a lot worse than it did for both them and the suspect.”
Kiner is being charged with two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, attempted murder, use of a firearm while committing a felony, possession of a large capacity firearm while committing a felony, possession of ammunition without a permit, possession of a firearm without a license to carry, receiving stolen property over $250, and disorderly conduct.
No other information was immediately available. Williams said the incident is currently under police investigation. It was unclear why Kiner was chasing the other man.