Woman on sidewalk hit and killed by Boston carjacking suspect, witnesses jump in to restrain driver
A man is expected to be arraigned Monday on charges including murder after he allegedly hit and killed a woman while driving a stolen car on the sidewalk in Mattapan on Saturday.
Boston Police said the chaotic scene began around 2 p.m. on Blue Hill Avenue.
After he was involved in a crash, the suspect, later identified as 37-year-old Ibraim Matos of Hyde Park, allegedly got out of the damaged car and ran up to a woman who was waiting at a car wash in the area of Woodhaven Street.
Matos allegedly pulled the woman out of her car, stole the vehicle and fled the wrong way on Blue Hill Ave. toward Mattapan Square.
"Went to her, just like Grant Theft Auto. Opened the door, took the lady and got her out," said Javier Fernandez, who was at the car wash. "Unfortunately he got into gear reverse. Nobody was behind him, he reversed back, got onto the wrong side of the road, went down that way."
Boston police said a short time later Matos was speeding near 1629 Blue Hill Ave. when he drove onto the sidewalk, hit a woman, and crashed into another vehicle near Fairhaven Street.
Surveillance video showed the woman attempting to run from the car on the sidewalk, but she was unable to avoid it. She died at the scene. Police identified her Monday as 32-year-old Mabinty Janneh of Dorchester.
According to witnesses, the driver of an MBTA bus in the area prevented Matos from getting away after hitting the woman.
"The bus saved a lot of people's lives because he was out of control," witness Dailina Duverne told WBZ-TV.
Duverne said a group of bystanders than pulled Matos out of the stolen car. They began punching him and subdued Matos until police arrived.
"He tried to run away and a lot of guys held him down. He was fighting them and they had to punch him. He was still fighting and some people had to fight him, holding him down because he tried to run away," Duverne said.
Boston police said that when officers arrived they found a large crowd around the crashed stolen car. Matos was identified as the suspect and taken to the hospital for treatment.
"They're heroes for that family. He didn't care if she was still alive or not," Duverne said of the bystanders who sprung into action.
Matos is charged with murder, carjacking, leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, and leaving the scene of an accident resulting in personal injury.
He is expected to be arraigned on Monday in Boston Municipal Court.
