Two Men From Taunton Arrested For Route 44 Fistfight

Two men from Taunton were arrested Tuesday morning for engaging in a fistfight with each other. The event happened before police arrived at the scene to find a pile of cash and drug paraphernalia in the car the suspect had been driving.

According to the Taunton Daily Gazette, Patrolman Thomas Larkin, stated in his report that he was on routine patrol on Winthrop Street/Route 44 at 2:45am, when he spotted two men on the side road near Brooks Street punching each other.

The men were trading blows next to a 2004 Volkswagen Passat parked with its engine running.

When Larkin ordered the two to disengage and place their hands on the roof of the VW sedan.  Only Lucas DeOliveira, of 288 Winthrop Street, complied.

“The other man, identified as 21-year-old Jamal D’Jahn Perkins, last known address 122 Winthrop Street, instead refused and began walking toward Larkin with arms flailing.”

Larkin, who at the time was the only officer on scene, managed to put Perkins on the ground by wrist locking him and using an arm-bar maneuver, which helped to handcuff Perkins.

Larkin also walked to the driver-side window of the Passat and discovered a large stack of cash “in plain sight” in the open center console.

He also detected a strong odor of marijuana and could see bits and pieces of pot located throughout the front interior.

Later on, the vehicle was searched and a box of Glad sandwich bags, a small scale, and a small bag of marijuana was found.

Both DeOliveira and Perkins were not charged with a drug offense.

With additional reporting by Sal Lopez