Peabody Man Arrested After Two-State Chase Ends In North End Crash
BOSTON (CBS) – A wild highway pursuit from New Hampshire to Boston's North End ended with the arrest of a Peabody man Sunday and police investigating a claim by a passenger that he had been kidnapped, state police said.
The two-state chase began just after 4:30 p.m. when Massachusetts state police received reports that Salem, N.H., police were pursuing a stolen red GMC pickup with New Hampshire plates on Interstate 93 southbound with two men inside.
Shortly after Salem police ended their chase, Massachusetts troopers got a report from another vehicle that had been sideswiped by the pickup on I-93 near Interstate 495.
At about 4:50, a trooper reported he was behind the pickup on I-93 southbound in Stoneham. Police said the pickup was going 85 mph and the driver refused to stop.
The chase continued down I-93 into the Tip O'Neill Tunnel where troopers lost sight of the truck.
Minutes later, Boston police reported the truck had crashed on Lewis Street in the North End.
At 5:55 p.m., Boston police officers arrested Michael Daniels, 33, of Peabody at North Station. Daniels was allegedly carrying a pellet pistol that police recovered.
A 27-year-old Peabody man who was the passenger in the truck said Daniels kidnapped him, state police reported. They are investigating the man's claims.
A witness at the crash site on Lewis Street told WBZ-TV's Jim Smith that the two men scuffled when they got out of the car. He described a wild scene unfolding on what had been a beautiful Father's Day in the North End.
"You could hear the car coming down Commercial Street," Andrew Kahn said. "He went through the barrier up here at the wharf, came flying up through there, slammed into the curb and stopped, and the two guys got out and bailed."
Residents in the area said it was amazing that no bystanders were hurt.
"It's very congested and people coming by here all the time, a car speeding in here at high speed could have really hurt somebody," Marshall Mazzarella said. "We're very lucky."
State police said they are determining what charges Daniels will face. He is expected to be arraigned in the Boston Municipal Court on Monday.
WBZ-TV's Jim Smith contributed to this report.
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