Police Testimony Sheds Light on Watertown Shootout

The Tsarnaev trial continued Monday at the John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse with the testimony of three Watertown policemen recounting their experiences from the night of April 18, 2013.

Patrol officer Joseph Reynolds, Sgt. John MacLellan and Sgt. Jeffrey Pugliese testified Monday at the John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse about their involvement in aconfrontation in Watertown with Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. PHOTO BY ALEXANDRA WIMLEY/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 21, is charged with 30 federal counts, to which he has pled not guilty. He allegedly placed two bombs at the Boston Marathon finish line in 2013, killing three and injuring more than 260.

Before the officers testimony, jurors in the case were brought to an undisclosed location in South Boston for about 30 minutes to view the boat in which Tsarnaev allegedly hid from law enforcement after the April 18, 2013, shootout in Watertown. The boat, Slipaway II, was placed under three large white tents, and alongside the jurors was suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who was unshackled and surrounded by security, the Associated Press told media at the trial.

The Slipaway II, previously owned by David and Beth Henneberry of Watertown, was displayed within the boat trailer, which sat elevated in a flatbed. Jurors examined the boat attentively and were elevated in pairs of two by a cage-like device in order to see the details within the boat, the AP reported.

Along the inside of the boat were messages written in pencil, blood streaks and along the bottom were two wooden slats with the message carved stop killing our innocent civilians. At least 110 bullet holes were counted lining all sides of the boat, all of which were marked with evidence tape, they said.

Later on Monday, the officers offered their accounts of the Watertown firefight.

Patrol officer Joseph Reynolds, Sgt. John MacLellan and Sgt. Jeffrey Pugliese

As Reynolds prepared for patrol duty, photos of the alleged Boston Marathon bombers were released. By the time Reynolds reported for roll call, he learned that Massachusetts Institute of Techology police officer Sean Collier had been shot and killed.

At 12:28 a.m., Reynolds said he received the call about a carjacking of a black Mercedes SUV, and was told to be on the lookout for the vehicle. Reynolds started heading toward the reported carjacking and spotted a black Mercedes-Benz on Dexter Street in Watertown. He identified the vehicle as a match to the description and pursued the vehicle from a distance.

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Police Testimony Sheds Light on Watertown Shootout