An Amherst man pleaded not guilty today to multiple charges stemming from an incident yesterday in which police said he intentionally drove a car into another man before pulling out a gun and chasing the man into the woods where he punched and kicked him in a dispute over a young woman.
Driving in a gray Honda Civic on Thursday afternoon, police said Jyming Chea, 27, of 266 East Hadley Road #97C in Amherst, arrived at 120 Belchertown Road (Route 9) in Amherst across from the Alpine Commons apartment complex and recognized an unnamed 23-year-old Springfield man standing outside the home. The two men “had become embroiled in a dispute over a young woman,” according to a press release from Amherst police.
Chea then drove the vehicle into the other man, knocking him to the ground, before Chea got out of the car, pulled out a 9MM handgun and chased the fleeing man into the woods behind the home where Chea punched and kicked the other man while he was on the ground, officials said.
The Springfield man was treated and released from Baystate Medical Center in Springfield.
State and town police responded around 4:45 p.m., later found the gun and arrested Chea on four charges: two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (a car and a shod foot) and single counts of assault and battery and assault with a dangerous weapon (handgun), according to Assistant District Attorney Michael A. Cahillane.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges at an arraignment today in Eastern Hampshire District Court. He was ordered held on $2,000 cash bail with electronic and GPS monitoring and ordered to have no contact with the alleged victims, Cahillane said.
The Commonwealth requested Chea be held without the right to bail based on dangerousness, which the judge denied along with prosecutors’ request that he be held on $25,000 bail.
Officials were not immediately available to comment further on whether or not Chea fired the gun, as multiple area residents said they heard yesterday.
Matt Rocheleau can be reached at [email protected].
