Greenfield Police recount vehicle chase that topped 100 mph

By ANTHONY CAMMALLERI

Staff Writer

Published: 08-13-2024 5:46 PM

GREENFIELD — Police say the driver of a pickup truck that was pursued by at least three law enforcement agencies on Saturday reached speeds of up to 70 mph on Greenfield roads and more than 100 mph on the highway.

Police continue to search for the driver of the 2021 Dodge Ram — registered in Massachusetts with the license plate number 5RGZ17 — that evaded Deerfield, Greenfield and State Police on Saturday before fleeing down Route 116 toward Conway. Greenfield Deputy Police Chief William Gordon said the truck eluded police after being “boxed in” three times.

“[The driver] eluded multiple attempts at our use of stop sticks as well,” Gordon added.

Gordon said pursuit of the vehicle began in Deerfield, though Greenfield Police Officer Alyssa Ippolito and Sgt. Megan Cloutier saw the truck in the Manny’s Appliances parking lot on River Street at approximately 2:15 p.m.

When officers tried to stop the truck, Gordon said it drove off on River Street toward Dunkin’ Donuts, where it got stuck in traffic and turned onto Main Street. He said the vehicle was “boxed in,” on Main Street and took a left onto Fort Square.

“It was boxed in on Hayes Avenue again for a second time,” Gordon said. “It escaped to a parking lot — McGovern Chevrolet has a parking lot back there — and went over curbing and into the parking lot, and then headed toward Woodard Road.”

From Woodard Road, the truck traveled north. Gordon said police tried to “box it in” again on Meadow Lane. The truck eluded police by driving over residents’ lawns, hitting a civilian’s car and sustaining minor damage. He said the truck later traveled on Plain Road before merging onto Interstate 91 southbound, where the driver used the turnaround lane on the highway’s median multiple times to evade law enforcement.

After the vehicle exited the highway, Gordon said, the pursuit was terminated near Mathews Road in Deerfield.

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State Police have not yet found the suspect or truck involved in the chase. According to State Police Sgt. Gregory Jones, troopers with the Shelburne Falls barracks assisted Greenfield Police with the pursuit.

Deerfield Police could not be reached for questions on the pursuit, despite attempts to make contact Monday and Tuesday via phone and email. It is still unclear why the truck was initially pursued.

Gordon noted that while the truck was in Greenfield, tips from civilians significantly helped officers locate and pursue the suspect. He added that the suspect faces multiple charges for failure to stop and multiple civil infractions in the city.

“We appreciated all the help from civilians. There were several civilians that, when we lost sight of him, pointed out the direction that he went, and civilians that attempted to assist us during the pursuit,” Gordon said. “We appreciate the efforts of these residents in our town.”

Anthony Cammalleri can be reached at acammalleri@recorder.com or 413-930-4429.