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DA: NH man nabbed after racing around Financial District, North End at up to 70 m.p.h.
By adamg on Thu, 06/24/2010 - 2:22pm
Joseph Z. Shelzi, 22, of Pelham, NH, was arrested around 2:45 a.m. Wednesday in a courtyard off Charter St. after he and a female acquaintance allegedly tried to evade police at speeds of up to 70 m.p.h. down a series of streets, including Hanover Street.
Shelzi, whose license was already revoked and who is facing a drunk-driving charge in Lawrence, was allegedly driving his 2001 BMW 3-series car the wrong way down a one-way street near State and Congress streets when a detail cop spotted him heading into ongoing traffic, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney's office:
After the driver ignored his attempts to stop the car, the officer observed the BMW accelerate west on Congress street, blowing through red lights at the intersections of Milk, Water, and Franklin streets at speeds of more than 60 miles per hour.
According to the DA's office, Shelzi then sped down Hanover at 50 m.p.h. When a police officer turned on his blue lights and began to pursue Shelzi, he sped up even more, managing to shake the cop. Another officer found the car a few minutes later, parked in the fire lane at 45 Charter St., the DA's office says:
The officer felt the hood of the car to be hot to the touch and spotted what appeared to be a woman’s purse in the front passenger seat.
The officer then spotted Shelzi and a young woman in a courtyard at Goodridge Alley. Allegedly, Shelzi denied the car was his and gave a false name; unfortunately for him, the DA's office says, the woman kept calling him "Joe."
Shelzi was arraigned yesterday in Boston Municipal Court on a variety of charges, including negligent operation of a motor vehicle, driving with a suspended license and four counts of failing to stop or yield. Bail was set at $3,500; Judge Mark Hart Summerville declined a request from prosecutors to revoke his bail on the Lawrence charge. He and his friend were also charged with trespassing - because they were allegedly found on the wrong side of a gate at the courtyard.
The DA's office adds police found "$4,250 in large bills" on Shelzi.
Also, this is not the first time Shelzi has allegedly felt the need for speed. Last June, he was arrested after allegedly crashing a motorcycle after getting up to 80 m.p.h. in Lowell. The same month, he was cited for speeding in Haverhill.
Innocent, etc.
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Comments
His defense will be:
Your honor, the court must surely realize that it's IMPOSSIBLE to get up to 70MPH in the North End....even at that hour!
and that would be because....?
Judge Mark Hart Summerville declined a request from prosecutors to revoke his bail on the Lawrence charge.
And what, pray tell, was the judge's reasoning on that? He's from out of state. DUI is a serious charge. Out on bail, he then drove without his license, in an extremely dangerous way that was an immediate threat to public safety. He's a danger to himself and the public.
So, let's hear it. Further proof there is *something* going on with MA judges and DUI cases.
You might want to dig into the legal standard for revoking
bail and.or preventative detention (setting bail too high so that the person cannot afford it) before you draw that conclusion. It seems the 8th amendment of the US Constitution weighs in heavily on the matter.
What a piece of shit
What's the penalty for these drunk drivers who continue to operate with a suspended license? Seems like it happens way too often, and these are just the people who get caught. Why not automatically revoke his bail? Or even better, seize his car and auction it off.
Probably earned that $4250 in cash by driving around making "deliveries," so let's go ahead and seize that too.
Sometimes, stereotypes are true...
Not to hate or anything, but is anyone surprised the car was a BMW 3 Series?
Great car, terrible drivers.
I hate to say it...
but almost every BMW I see is driven by an ahole who is breaking the speedlimit. Take away the BMW and stick 'em with a VW bus.
Do you know the difference between a BMW and a porcupine?
On the porcupine, the pricks are on the outside!
BTW: stories like this make me think of the pundits that want to license bicyclists, and laugh.
I grew up in Pelham, NH.
It's a rare thing for me to be able to provide background on a story through my own first hand experience, but I can say with confidence that this kid is, was, and probably always will be a scumbag.
Can you explain something else?
Where does a little shithead like this get the money to get a car like this?
This reeks of "spoiled rich brat sheltered by daddy" syndrome. Any bets on when he'll end up in a Peruvian prison?
I'm guessing
It had something to do with the "4,250 in large bills."
The car was 9 years old
It might be worth $5K - maybe.
Care to make any other assumptions?
Yes
I assume the car might be worth $5000.
why dont u try going up to
why dont u try going up to his face and calling him a scumbag u little punk
Mugshot Friday
Also, between this post, and the one underneath with the OC dealers, is it safe to safe this is the greatest day of mugshots in UH history?
I'm sorry, but just take in
I'm sorry, but just take in the look on his face; it simply *screams* "s-bag". Makes me wanna just kneel on his chest and destroy his face for this kind of crap, he desperately needs it. I don't give a S--- if it was 2:45 in the morning. Any random person could've been up for whatever reason driving around when he was flying through red lights, and crossing paths probably would've mean the death of that person.