A man allegedly fleeing police on the Massachusetts Turnpike on Friday is accused of hitting a state trooper’s cruiser and driving the wrong way on the highway, according to authorities.
A trooper was on patrol on the Route 20 connector in Millbury shortly before 10:15 a.m. Friday when he found a black 2016 Chevrolet Cruze that had allegedly fled from Worcester police moments earlier, Massachusetts State Police said in a statement.
The driver, a 21-year-old Shrewsbury man, has five outstanding warrants for his arrest, two of which are connected to felony charges and three of which are connected to misdemeanor charges. He also has a suspended driver’s license, and the vehicle’s registration is suspended as well, according to state police’s statement.
The trooper activated his lights and siren, attempting to stop the car as it entered the ramp to the Mass. Pike. However, the man allegedly did not stop, and a brief pursuit ensued, the statement said.
While being pursued, the man allegedly applied his brakes, spun the vehicle around and intentionally hit the trooper’s cruiser, a 2017 Ford F-250 pickup truck, on the driver’s side door, according to state police.
The driver then allegedly fled in the wrong direction on the highway, driving west on the eastbound side of the Pike. The trooper lost sight of the car as it drove away, state police said.
Additional troopers and the state police Air Wing searched for the man but did not find him. The investigation is ongoing, according to the statement.
The cruiser was minorly damage. The trooper declined medical attention, the statement said.