BOSTON (AP) – A Boston police officer was shot by a drug suspect early Tuesday, but was saved from serious injury by his bulletproof vest.

Officer Kevin Ford was part of a team executing a search warrant for drugs and firearms in the city’s Roxbury neighborhood around 6:05 a.m. when James Nolan allegedly shot him, authorities said.

The bullet hit Ford, 49, around the belt line.

, where it was stopped by his vest, said Boston police Lt. Robert O’Toole.

“It would feel like … getting hit by a Pedro Martinez fastball,” O’Toole said.

Ford continued with the arrest, helping the entry team subdue Nolan before indicating he’d been hit, acting police commissioner James Hussey said.

Ford was treated at Boston Medical Center and released. His return date is uncertain, and he must receive medical clearance before his return, Hussey said.

“It was absolutely a case where the vest saved his life,” Hussey said.

Investigators found a .45-caliber handgun they believe was used in the shooting, several ounces of high-grade marijuana and $1,600 in cash, a spokeswoman for the attorney general’s office said.

Nolan, 25, pleaded innocent at his arraignment Wednesday to charges of assault with intent to murder, assaulting a police officer, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and weapons charges.

He was ordered held on $50,000 bail and is scheduled to appear again on March 10.

Wednesday’s shooting was the second time in a month a Boston police officer has been shot while serving a warrant.

On Jan. 16, officer Scott O’Brien was shot while serving a warrant to a man wanted for assault with a firearm. O’Brien’s injuries weren’t life-threatening.

Newly appointed police commissioner Kathleen O’Toole said Wednesday’s shooting will be fully investigated, but there’s no initial indication that there are flaws in police procedures.

AP-ES-02-11-04 1644EST