Miguel Colon

Miguel Colon testified for the prosecution on Day 38 about responding to the Laurel Street gunfight as a Watertown police officer. He described using his spotlight to draw a suspect's attention because he feared Sergeant MacLellan was losing cover. Gunfire struck Colon's spotlight and open cruiser door. Colon identified Dzhokhar Tsarnaev as the SUV driver and said the vehicle struck and dragged a person on the ground before hitting Officer Reynolds' cruiser.

Under Steven Mellin's questioning, Colon described officers jumping aside, checking on them afterward, and taking his cruiser to follow the SUV. He said a vehicle could pass his cruiser, there was room on either side of a green Honda, and the exit intersection was unobstructed when he left less than a minute after the SUV. After the court sustained a foundation objection to a broader question about officers blocking the street, Colon said he had not personally seen such a blockage. His account described the driver's identity and conduct without expressly characterizing the driver's intent.

On cross-examination, Timothy Watkins tested Colon's route, vantage point, and cruiser placement. Colon denied being on Quinby Street and explained that he fired from his vehicle after it was hit, then moved behind Reynolds' larger cruiser. Asked about an attributed interview statement describing one shooter, he said he could not tell and had focused on muzzle flash. He estimated the cruisers were approximately two car lengths apart but could not give his cruiser's length.