SOMERVILLE — On Monday, May 27, 2024, at approximately 6:23 a.m., Officer Paul Beckford of the Somerville Police Department was dispatched to the residence located at 217 Summer Street following a report of a motor vehicle accident outside the home.
When Officer Beckford arrived on scene, he saw a car with Massachusetts plates lodged in a stone wall. All airbags had deployed, and the vehicle suffered extensive front-end damage. A fire hydrant – which was lodged into the passenger side of the vehicle – had ripped a hole from the front passenger door to the rear passenger door.
(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from a summary of the incident written by Officer Beckford in Somerville Police Department’s weekly arrest log and do not reflect any political or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)
The reporting party, who lives at 217 Summer Street, said he was asleep in bed when he was awakened by “a loud bang” outside his home.
“He stated that he immediately got out of bed and looked out the window,” Officer Beckford said. “[The reporting party] stated that he ran outside to check on his property and the driver.”
The reporting party said a man, later identified as Matthew Soni, stumbled out of the vehicle.
According to police, Matthew J. Soni, 40, is a resident of 174 Summer Street in Somerville.
“[The reporting party] asked, ‘Are you ok? You crashed into my property. Thank God you didn’t hit anyone,’” Officer Beckford recounted. “Mr. Soni replied, ‘Well it was just your property, not a person.’”
During his interview with Soni, Officer Beckford said that he was unsteady on his feet and frequently used his arms for balance.
“Mr. Soni had a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from his person,” Officer Beckford said. “Mr. Soni’s eyes were both glassy and red.”
Soni told the officer that he works as a bartender at The Abbey, a restaurant and bar on Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge.
“Mr. Soni stated that he did have a couple of drinks, but was unsure how many he had,” Officer Beckford said. “He stated that he was driving home and he lost control of his vehicle. Mr. Soni stated that he believes he ran over a stick in the road and that caused his accident.”
Officer Beckford told Soni that since there were no sticks in the area, he didn’t think it was possible for a stick to have caused the accident.
“Mr. Soni made it seem like his vehicle slipped on a banana peel,” Officer Beckford added.
When Cataldo Ambulance Service arrived, EMTs treated Soni’s wounds on scene.
“Mr. Soni refused medical treatment,” Officer Beckford said. “I informed Mr. Soni that I would like to administer a field sobriety test. The weather condition was a light mist and there was enough light outside due to the sun. Mr. Soni had no medical condition and does not wear corrective lenses.”
The first field sobriety test Officer Beckford asked Soni to take was the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test.
According to findlaw.com, the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test is a field sobriety test where an officer has an individual follow an object (such as a pen tip or pen light) with his/her eyes. The HGN test checks for the involuntary jerking of one’s eyes as they gaze side to side. This involuntary jerkiness is said to increase while under the influence of alcohol.
“I instructed Mr. Soni on how to perform the HGN. I had to stop Mr. Soni several times because he was not following my directions,” Officer Beckford said. “During the HGN there was a lack of smooth pursuit, and sustained HGN at maximum deviation.”
The second field sobriety test Officer Beckford described and demonstrated to Soni was the walk-and-turn test. This test requires the individual to walk heel-to-toe in a straight line with their hands at their sides for approximately nine steps (which are counted out loud), then turn around and walk back to the starting point in the same manner.
Officer Beckford said that Soni began the test while he was in the process of instructing him on how to do it, was unsteady on his feet, didn’t count out loud, and took 12 steps instead of nine.
“Mr. Soni consistently fell off the line and he did not do heel-to-toe as instructed,” Officer Beckford said. “Mr. Soni did a Michael Jackson spin for the turn, which was improper and also not what I instructed or demonstrated.”
The third field sobriety test Officer Beckford asked Soni to perform was the “one leg stand.” This test involves lifting one leg about six inches off the ground, while holding the foot in a position parallel to the ground, with arms kept at the sides.
“Mr. Soni utilized his arms to maintain balance. Mr. Soni placed his foot on the ground several times,” Officer Beckford recounted. “Mr. Soni did not raise his foot off the ground correctly. Instead, he bent his knee at a 90-degree angle, and he hopped numerous times on one leg to try and gain balance. Mr. Soni was placed under arrest for Operating Under the Influence (OUI Liquor).”
Soni was transported to the Somerville Police Station by Officer Charle O’Leary where he was booked, Officer Beckford said.
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