Under CH 90 §24, which act can be arrestable in the presence if it constitutes a breach of peace?

• A. Liquor or drugs offense
• B. Operating to endanger
• C. Negligent operation or reckless operation
• D. Leave scene

Answer: (B)

In Massachusetts, CH 90 §24 allows on-the-spot arrests for certain motor-vehicle offenses that are observed in the officer’s presence and that amount to a breach of peace. Operating to endanger fits this rule because driving in a way that puts others at imminent risk directly disrupts public order and endangers safety, meeting the breach-of-peace criterion the statute targets. The other options involve offenses not as clearly aligned with the on-the-spot breach-of-peace scenario described in this section, such as offenses outside motor-vehicle violations or those not framed as immediate endangerment in the moment of observation.