Police say masked teenager flashed gun at Massachusetts postal worker
Updated on Aug. 15, 2024: Tewksbury police announced that a 14-year-old Lowell boy was arrested on charges of assault with a dangerous weapon, receiving a stolen motor vehicle, and possession of a firearm without an FID.
TEWKSBURY – Police spent hours Tuesday searching several Tewksbury neighborhoods after a masked man in a stolen car flashed a gun at a postal worker. A day later, they released a photo of the man they believe was at the center of the incident.
It happened just after 11 a.m. on Shawsheen Street.
Gun pointed at Tewksbury postal carrier
Officers responded after the female U.S. Postal Service worker had a gun pointed at her. When they arrived, police saw a red car being driven at a high rate of speed on Whipple Road.
Tewksbury police followed the car onto Tomahawk Drive. That's where the driver jumped out of the car and ran off.
Officers scoured the area of Nightengale Lane where the man was last seen, along with surrounding neighborhoods.
The United States post office said the worker was unharmed.
"The letter carrier quickly put their USPS vehicle into drive and got away. No robbery of the letter carrier occurred, and the USPS letter carrier is physically unharmed," a U.S. postal inspector statement said.
Massachusetts State Police and a Northeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council (NEMLEC) SWAT team joined the search. Police also used drones and K-9s to search for the suspect.
People who live in the area received an automated message from police altering them to the search.
Tewksbury police release photo of suspect description
A Tewksbury police K-9 unit found a gun under a shed on Grasshopper Lane. The weapon likely belongs to the suspect, police said.
Despite the largescale search, no arrest has been made.
"We have deployed every asset at our disposal to find this individual, including a door to door search in the area he was last seen," Tewksbury Police Chief Ryan Columbus said. "However he has not been located at this time. The suspect's motives are part of an ongoing investigation."
According to Tewksbury police, the suspect is described as a Black man, possibly in his late teens or early 20s. The man was wearing a dark-colored sweatshirt and mask.
On Wednesday, police released a photo of the suspect.
Neighbors say they'll lock their doors
Neighbors in the area say they are surprised by the incident.
"It's something you hear about on the news that you don't really think will happen to you. I don't know what to think," said Joyce Shirton, who lives in the area. She said police told her to stay in the house and lock her door.
Sara Steele said her family has a long history in the neighborhood and she lives in the house her grandparents once owned.
"We love it here," she said. " It's just ... you expect it to be quiet.
Crimes against postal workers rising
Crimes against postal workers have risen steadily over the last several years. Federal data shows there were almost 2,000 crimes committed against postal workers in 2023, almost three times more than the number reported in 2018.
The U.S. Postal Service Inspection Service said most robberies are committed using guns and target the universal keys mail carriers use to access mailboxes.