Man Arrested for Possession of Heroin Following Fight in Worcester

Friday, September 22, 2017

GoLocalWorcester News Team

A man was arrested for possession of heroin following a fight in the area of Tirrell St. in Worcester.

Angel Rodriguez-Morales, 50, was arrested and charged with Possession of a Class A Substance with Intent to Distribute.

The Incident

On September 19, at about 9 p.m., Worcester police were sent to the area of Tirrell St for a report of a group of about five men fighting in a driveway, possibly with knives or guns. Upon arrival, the first responding officer’s attention was immediately drawn to a man, later identified as Rodriguez-Morales, at the end of the driveway holding a large stick.

As Rodriguez-Morales was in close proximity to where the fight was said to be occurring and carrying what could be used as a weapon, the officer exited his cruiser and ordered Rodriguez-Morales to drop the stick. Rodriguez-Morales ignored the officer’s commands and began walking away. The officer again ordered Rodriguez-Morales to drop the stick. After the second command, he then dropped the stick but continued to walk away. The officer ordered Mr. Rodriguez-Morales to stop, but Rodriguez-Morales began walking quickly away from the officer in an attempt to get away.

The officer got closer to Rodriguez-Morales, who turned towards the officer and reached into his left pocket. The officer ordered him to take his hand out of his pocket and stop, but he did not. Due to the fact the Rodriguez-Morales was ignoring commands and reaching into his pocket, the officer immediately grabbed him to prevent him from reaching for a weapon. The officer attempted to restrain Rodriguez-Morales, who continued to reach for his left pocket. At this time, a second officer arrived and was able to assist in gaining control of Mr. Rodriguez-Morales.

A pat frisk was conducted of Rodriguez-Morales to ensure he did not have any weapons. During the search, the officer felt an object in the left pocket of Mr. Rodriguez-Morales that was consistent with illegal narcotics packaged for sale. Upon removing the object, the officer observed a small glassine bag containing fourteen knotted baggies containing a brownish substance, which is believed to be heroin. Rodriguez-Morales was placed under arrest.