Opinion ID: 217668
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Suspicious Activities

Text: It was now around 1 a.m. on July 13. Smigielski and Fitzgerald parked in a driveway near a lot across from the hospital's emergency-room entrance. Staking out a hospital after a shooting is a great way to collect intelligence about gangs, Smigielski later said. And Smigielski was not disappointed on this night. Two men soon got out of a newish-looking silver sedan. Smigielski recognized one of them as Antonio Duncan, a Magnolia Street Gang member who had been arrested on gun charges in the past. The men made a beeline for a group of people hanging out near the emergency-room entrance. Within seconds, the duo left with two other men, one of whom was McGregor. They all piled into a gray Honda Accord with tinted windows and sped off. [1] McGregor was no stranger to the criminal justice system. Based on reports and talks with colleagues, Smigielski knew that McGregor was a Magnolia Street Gang founder and that he was out on parole after serving time for firearms offenses. Smigielski also knew that McGregor had had a couple of run-ins with the police since his release. The first involved his fleeing the scene when stopped for a traffic infraction. The second also involved a traffic stop with a twist. Pulled over by Boston police, McGregor was chauffeuring another Magnolia Street Gang member, Christian Miranda, who gave officers a fake name when arrested for disorderly conduct during the encounter. And, it turned out, Miranda was wanted for murder in North Carolina. Fearing that the foursome might try to avenge the shooting of their comrades in crime, Smigielski and Fitzgerald tailed the Honda. Smigielski radioed for backup. Boston Police Officer Mark Freire and his partner quickly joined in, driving an unmarked car equipped with flashing blue lights  something Smigielski and Fitzgerald's car lacked. Smigielski determined that the Honda was going at least 50 m.p.h. in a 30 m.p.h. zone. Freire also saw the Honda run a flashing red light, and he radioed that news to Smigielski. Acting on Smigielski's order, Freire turned his car's blue lights on and pulled the Honda over. Freire approached the car with his gun holstered. Smigielski and Fitzgerald parked farther back and converged on the Honda too. Smigielski saw McGregor in the Honda's driver's seat, Duncan in the front passenger's seat, and Antwan Green  a known Magnolia Street Gang member out on bail pending trial on a firearms charge  in the seat directly behind McGregor's. Smigielski did not recognize the fourth person (later identified as Dominique Jean-Pierre) in the Honda. As the officers closed in, some of the occupants became noticeably nervous. Watch the person in the back seat, driver's side of the car, Freire told Smigielski. He's leaning forward, and his chest is pounding, Freire added. McGregor had opened the driver's door, which concerned Smigielski because drivers do not usually do that during traffic stops. But with the door open, Smigielski could see McGregor's left leg shaking, his chest heaving up and down, and his heart pounding through his t-shirt.