_edited.png)
At 11:48 PM Friday, Aug.18, 2023, a Massachusetts State Trooper
was on patrol out of the State Police-Norwell Barracks when her attention was drawn to a gray Dodge Durango southbound on Route 3 in Norwell. The Durango had driven up behind her cruiser in the left lane at a high rate of speed, then slowed and pulled around and in front of her.
The Trooper’s query of the SUV’s license plate revealed its inspection sticker was expired. She was also informed over the radio that a 17-year-old male associated with that vehicle had a known violent history towards police. The Trooper queried a Registry of Motor Vehicles database and learned that the juvenile male was the subject of three active arrest warrants, one of them for a probation violation he incurred by not charging the ankle bracelet monitor he was ordered to wear as a result of a previous criminal case.
The Durango took the exit to Route 228 and stopped in front of an Audi dealership on Pond Street in Norwell. The Trooper activated her marked cruiser’s emergency lights and stopped behind the suspect vehicle. The Trooper saw the passenger climb over the center console into the back seat. She approached and confirmed that the occupant who had climbed into the back seat was the wanted male juvenile, and that the SUV was being driven by his mother; both are Cohasset residents.
The Trooper asked the male to step out of the vehicle and began to escort him out of the backseat. The suspect then began to run toward the dealership in an attempt to flee.
As the Trooper pulled the suspect back toward her, the suspect turned and struck her in the face with a closed fist, then pushed her away with both hands while shouting a vulgarity at her. The suspect ran across the road with the Trooper in foot pursuit. When the suspect entered a wooded area the Trooper terminated the foot pursuit, broadcast the suspect’s description to patrols responding as back up, and requested EMS for facial injuries she sustained from the suspect’s assault.
State Police and Norwell Police units responded to assist, as did Norwell EMS. A State Police K9 team responded and began a track of the suspect. Despite the persistent efforts of State Police and local police, the suspect was not located at that time. State Police began the process of obtaining an arrest warrant charging the suspect with assault and battery on a police officer and resisting arrest.
On the morning of Sunday, Aug. 20, the suspect surrendered at the Cohasset Police Station. He is expected to be arraigned in the near future at Hingham District Court for the new charges from Friday night; he will also answer to the underlying charges from three prior warrants. His name cannot be released under Massachusetts law, which deems defendants up to age 17 to be juveniles.
The Trooper was treated for her facial injuries and released from the hospital.
“A trooper, on patrol by herself in the dead of night, approached a suspect with a criminal history who was known to be violent toward police,” said Colonel John E. Mawn Jr., Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police. “She did so because she took an oath to defend society from violence, crime, and disorder. She did so because she possesses the courage, at the risk of her own safety, to confront those that harm society and have a reckless disregard for the laws enacted to protect people. And she did so because she answered a calling to serve her community. I am grateful for her willingness to proactively police the roadways of the Commonwealth. I am proud of her toughness, professionalism and calmness under pressure. I feel the same sense of pride for all Mass State Police Troopers who leave their homes, don a bulletproof vest, holster their pistol, and jump in their cruisers 24/7/365 and go to work to make our Commonwealth safer.”
“I’d like to extend my gratitude also to the Norwell Police and EMTs who rushed to backup and assist our Trooper,” Colonel Mawn added.
###