The man described as a “known crack cocaine user” who allegedly fired over 60 shots from a rifle at drivers on Cambridge’s Memorial Drive earlier this month – seriously injuring two people – has a criminal record longer than most receipts.
Tyler Brown, 46, from Boston, has been convicted or pleaded guilty to violent crimes going back at least to 1996 in Michigan, where he was found guilty of armed robbery.
Just three years later, he added another charge when he was convicted of violently escaping from a Michigan jail while serving time for that robbery.
Starting out in Michigan, this man – whom Massachusetts State Police called a “known crack cocaine user” in their report on the Memorial Drive shooting – went on to rack up decades’ worth of violent crime convictions. Despite how many and how serious these offenses were, none ever landed him more than six years behind bars.
2020: Shooting at Boston Police
This includes his 2021 sentence of between five and six years for an incident where Brown fired at least 13 rounds at Boston police officers during the day on Massachusetts Avenue.
On May 16, 2020 – just two days shy of six years before the Memorial Drive shooting – police got a call around 2 p. m. about a man with a gun threatening people at 134 Northampton St. in the South End. When officers showed up, they spotted someone matching that description but he ran off and started shooting.
The cops shot back but luckily no one got hurt. Still, then-BPD Commissioner William Gross said four officers were taken to the hospital for checkups.
That same day Gross criticized judges for being too lenient on crime.
“You’re setting a mentality on the street that people can do whatever they want because they’re going to get smacked on the wrist,” he told reporters there. “Folks, we just need to think about that when it comes to voting time – who’s releasing violent offenders from jail.”
But comments like those from Gross seemed ignored by then-DA Rachael Rollins and others after Brown’s sentencing in this repeat offender case.
Brown pleaded guilty on August 18, 2021, admitting to three counts of assault with a dangerous weapon plus armed assault with intent to murder, assault and battery with a firearm, carrying a firearm without license (second offense), and carrying a loaded firearm without license.
Judge Janet L. Sanders sentenced him up to six years for all charges combined. Each charge had its own sentence but they ran at the same time so only the longest really counted. Brown also got credit for 534 days already served in jail which cut about a year and half off his term.
At Thursday’s hearing where Cambridge District Court Judge David E. Frank called Brown dangerous and denied bail, prosecutor Nicole Allain brought up this past case comparing it directly with his new charges.
Allain pointed out Brown’s “lengthy history of continuously violent offenses” and stressed he was still out “on parole and probation for almost the exact same kind of thing” when he did the Memorial Drive shooting.
This pattern also held true back during that shootout with Boston cops since he’d recently been released after another assault-with-weapon conviction.
2014: Boston assault case
Back in September 2014 Brown faced similar charges again: two counts of assault and battery with dangerous weapon, five counts of assault with dangerous weapon itself plus one count of witness intimidation. On Dec. 5, 2016 he pleaded guilty to all those charges after letting things sit in court awhile-a common move for him based on records.
Judge Rosalind H. Miller handed down concurrent sentences for six out of eight charges – likely part of some deal – with the longest sentence set between six years exactly and just over by one day.
When Brown later shot at police officers in Boston during that May 2020 incident Judge Sanders added sentences Aug.19th ,2021 , for those other two charges not previously sentenced: one count A&B w/ dangerous weapon plus witness intimidation each getting between four & five years running together alongside his cop-shooting term.
2014: Charlestown assault
A little earlier that year , Brown also faced assault related charges through Boston Municipal Court’s Charlestown Division. He was arraigned July26th ’14 charged w/ Assault w/dangerous weapon , assault & battery & disorderly conduct.
The judge initially kept him locked up because these crimes happened while he was already out on bail elsewhere-something we see repeated often throughout his record. Eventually bail was set $50k bond or $5k cash but Brown never posted either amount.
Pleading guilty Dec1st ’16 meant prosecutors dropped other charges; Judge Sally A. Kelly gave him two years six months incarceration Suffolk House Correction – South Bay facility.
2008: Brockton case
This one goes way back-so far back even judge names aren’t listed publicly-when Brown appeared Sept5th ’08 Brockton District Court accused carrying unlicensed firearm + loaded gun + possession w/o FID card. Pleaded guilty Jan20th ’09 sentenced first count eighteen months House Correction credited139 days second count just single day served.
2007: New Hampshire
A couple drug convictions came next from New Hampshire courts dating back to ‘07 : possession Class C drugs landed him one year plus extra203 days ; another drug possession charge got sentence ranging between one-and-a-half & three years total time behind bars respectively.
Screengrab , Boston HeraldT yler B rown , seen here with his attorney Carolyn Mc Gowan , pleaded not guilty to charges connected to shooting along M emorial D rive in Cambridge.( Screengrab , Boston Herald)
The suspected shooter on Memorial Drive in Cambridge on Monday afternoon.( Reader courtesy photo)
