Wareham Police: Brockton Man Arrested After High-Speed Chase

WAREHAM (WBSM) — Police arrested a Plymouth man on multiple charges and outstanding warrants early Sunday after he led law enforcement on a high-speed chase from Wareham all the way to Brockton.

According to police, officers observed Lashii Ortiz, 29, of Plymouth driving a vehicle with out-of-state plates on Onset Avenue at about 2:41 a.m. on December 15. Officers pulled over the vehicle because, according to police, Ortiz is “well known” to the department and had two active felony warrants out of Plymouth District Court and Wareham District Court.

The warrants were for armed robbery, assault and battery on a person over 60 years old, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, intimidation of a witness, possession with intent to distribute a Class A substance, and possession with intent to distribute a Class B substance.

Police said that as officers approached the vehicle, Ortiz allegedly fled at a high rate of speed and almost struck a police cruiser in the process.

An officer deployed “stop sticks” and deflated two of the vehicle’s tires, and police said that even after that, Ortiz continued driving erratically and at high rates of speed, eventually getting onto Route 25 and Interstate 495 and going over 100 miles per hour.

Massachusetts State Police and other local police joined in the pursuit and Ortiz was eventually apprehended in Brockton. He was transported back to Wareham for booking.

In addition to the two outstanding warrants, Ortiz now faces new charges of operating a motor vehicle without a license, reckless operation of a motor vehicle and failure to stop for police.

Bail was set at $12,000 and Ortiz is scheduled to be arraigned today in Wareham District Court.

Ortiz has a long criminal history, including turning himself in back in 2016 when he was 20 years old and was the suspect in an incident of shots fired. He was also arrested on cocaine charges in 2019 and was the passenger in another high-speed chase with Wareham Police in November 2023 in which he was arrested on outstanding warrants for armed home invasion, felony use of a firearm, and armed assault in a dwelling with a firearm.