Trooper Hurt In Hit-And-Run, Police Capture Suspect In Boston
DORCHESTER (CBS) - Police have arrested one person after a State Trooper was seriously injured when he was hit by a stolen car on the Neponset River Bridge Thursday morning.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Carl Stevens reports.
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Photos: State Police Manhunt
Police received information that 25-year-old Brandon Smith could be located at the Saint Francis House, a homeless shelter on Boylston Street. Smith was interviewed by State Police and then arrested.
A second person was also interviewed by State Police but is not facing charges.
It all started when three troopers on a construction detail in the area were told a stolen rental car with Connecticut plates was stuck in traffic on the bridge around 9:30 a.m. Police said the car, a 2012 Toyota Yaris, was reported stolen from a Rhode Island airport on March 16.
When police approached the car, which had two occupants, the driver made a u-turn and struck Trooper Scott Flaherty in the leg as he tried to stop the car.
The troopers then fired an unknown number of shots at the Yaris as it drove off, hitting the passenger side. It's not clear yet if anyone in the car was wounded.
It was found a short time later with bullet holes in it, abandoned on Dyer Street in Dorchester. Police would not say if there was blood in the car.
"The officers feared for their lives, so they engaged the two suspects with their service weapons," said Lt. Col. Frank Mathews.
State Police said Trooper Flaherty, 41, was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital with ankle, back, and wrist injuries and will spend the night in the hospital. While his injuries are serious, they are not c0nsidered to be life-threatening.
"Trooper Scott Flaherty has injuries to his wrist, back and ankle...but he's in good spirits," said Major Tom Brennan.
Witness Harvey Smart of Neponset Tire told WBZ-TV he heard five shots.
"By the time we got out front we didn't really know what was happening. All we knew that we were converged upon by cruisers," he said.
Two homes were searched during the manhunt, but authorities would not comment on that part of the investigation.
As a precaution, Boston Public Schools put five schools - TechBoston Academy, Fifield building, Mildred Ave, Boston Adult Technical Academy, and Boston International/Newcomers Academy - into safe mode, which means no one was allowed to enter or exit the schools. The safe mode was lifted after less than an hour.
The manhunt also made a mess of traffic in the area.
On the Southeast Expressway southbound, the ramp to exit 12 was closed.
WBZ-TV's Bill Shields contributed to this report.
