Salem Police Arrest Two After High-Speed Chase

SALEM, MA -- Police arrested two men after a high-speed chase through downtown Salem early Sunday morning. The chase ended after the stolen Honda Element a crash on Oakland Street and after police had pursued the vehicle for several miles. The chase occurred around 1 am Sunday morning.

Yunior Taveras, 26, of Lynn was being held on $5,000 after pleading not guilty Monday in Salem District Court to charges of larceny of a motor vehicle, receiving a stolen vehicle, failing to stop for police, resisting arrest, driving to endanger and leaving the scene of an accident, among other charges, according to the Salem News. His passenger, Marvin Cesar Lambert, 27, of Salem, was charged with receiving stolen property.

The car, which had been reported stolen last week, was seen by a Salem police officer on Church Street. The patrolmen followed the vehicle in his cruiser and tried to pull it over when he confirmed that it was the stolen vehicle. Taveras pulled over on Central Street, but when the police officer exited his car, he took off.

The chase wound past Derby Street as crowds were exiting downtown bars at closing time, then hit speeds of up to 45 miles per hour as it wound through residential neighborhoods. When Tavares tried to make a quick turn onto Oakland Street in north Salem, the Honda Element crashed into a tree.

Tavares fled on foot but was captured a short time later by the Salem Police K-9 unit. Lambert suffered a minor cut in the crash and was treated at Salem Hospital. Lambert, who was ordered held on $2,000 bail, is due back in court on Feb. 23. Tavares is scheduled to next appear in court on March 22.

In 2015, Tavares was arrested by Peabody Police and charged with possession of heroin with intent to distribute. Lambert has at least three previous arrests on his record, including possession of a class A substance with intent to distribute in 2014.

For more on this story, see the Salem News. Subscribe to Salem Patch for more local news and real-time alerts.

Patch file photo.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).