By GAYLA CAWLEY
LYNN — One man won’t be winning any father of the year awards.
Christian Matos, 22, is facing drug trafficking, firearm, and home invasion charges after allegedly barging into a Franklin Street apartment early Sunday morning and brandishing a gun, while looking for his 1-year-old son. After picking up his baby at another location in Marian Gardens, police say the child’s diaper bag he was carrying contained large quantities of heroin and cocaine, along with ammunition.
Police responded to an apartment at 84 Franklin St. around 2 a.m., on a report of a disturbance call. Police learned that Matos had kicked in the apartment door and brandished a revolver handgun to the three women inside, all in their 30s, Lynn Police Lt. Glenn Dunnigan said.
Matos left the apartment to head toward another location in Marian Gardens to pick up the child from a babysitter. Before leaving he allegedly fired one round in the air while yelling and screaming, Dunnigan said.
Witnesses described Matos, and the car he was driving, a black BMW with chrome rims. Officers got photos of Matos, and found an unoccupied parked black BMW at the corner of Union and Lincoln Streets with the base of a baby’s car seat inside, Dunnigan said.
Police then saw Matos leave a house on Lincoln Street and walk toward the car, carrying a diaper bag and the baby in the carseat, Dunnigan said.
Officers approached Matos, saw him turn to his right, and ordered him several times to stop and show his hands. Matos complied, and placed the baby and car seat down on the sidewalk, Dunnigan said.
Police, with guns drawn, approached him, and found two handguns in his waistband after searching him, Dunnigan said.
“Matos was very uncooperative and was screaming at the officers to ‘just shoot me’ … ‘kill me,’” Dunnigan said. “The baby was immediately taken out of harm’s way as the officers approached Matos.”
After Matos was arrested, he became resistant, refusing to be booked and refusing to exit the police cruiser at the station, Dunnigan said.
Dunnigan said Matos’ car is unregistered and uninsured. It was towed from the scene and a white face mask was found in the trunk.
A search of the diaper bag revealed 55.28 grams of cocaine, 68.81 grams of heroin and a black bag containing 171 rounds of ammunition: RP 380 Auto (3 rounds) Hollow Point, Win 38 special Ammo (44 rounds) full jacket and 380 Win Ammo (124 rounds) full jacket, Dunnigan said.
Matos faces numerous charges including heroin and cocaine trafficking, drug possession, home invasion, endangering a child, and multiple firearms violations, including possession of a firearm and ammunition without a firearm identification card.
The Department of Children & Families was called for the baby once a 51A (child abuse and neglect reporting form) was filed, Dunnigan said.
Gayla Cawley can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @GaylaCawley.
