Five officers at a Massachusetts police department, including the chief, are wounded after a 15-minute incident with a knife-wielding man Tuesday evening.
Taunton police said the altercation began at around 6:45 p.m. Tuesday as officers were conducting a traffic stop on a motorist accused of a moving violation on County Street. While working with that driver, who was cooperative, an unrelated driver pulled up next to the officers and began shouting at them.
The driver, who has only been identified as an adult male known to police, then sped off in a 2010 gray Honda Accord. Taunton police said officers did not pursue him at that time.
Shortly after, another Taunton officer patrolling the area allegedly saw the driver operating the Honda in an “unsafe and reckless manner” and attempted to pull him over.
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The driver fled again, nearly hitting an officer who was approaching his car during the stop, prompting a brief police chase under the control of a supervisor who was monitoring the situation, Taunton PD said.
The vehicle pursuit ended when the suspect crashed the car into an entryway at a multifamily residence on West Britannia Street and ran inside. The residence was later determined to be the suspect’s home.
Officers followed the suspect into the building, where he allegedly pulled out a knife and started waving it at them, slashing two officers in the process.
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Taunton Police Chief Edward Walsh, who responded to the scene from his nearby home, was also wounded during the altercation after the suspect allegedly swung the knife at him and stabbed him in the torso.
Walsh was able to deploy his Taser on the suspect, resulting in his apprehension at around 7 p.m., approximately 15 minutes after the initial interaction on the side of the road, according to the department.
Taunton police said a total of five officers were wounded in the attack. One officer was airlifted to a Boston hospital with “serious slash wounds” on his face and the back of his head while a second officer was taken to the hospital by ambulance with knife wounds.
Walsh was treated for his puncture wound at Morton Hospital and was released Tuesday evening. The remaining two officers were injured while arresting the suspect and were also treated at Morton Hospital. As of Wednesday morning, the officers’ injuries are not life-threatening, Walsh said.
The suspect is also being treated at an undisclosed hospital in the area. Taunton police said he will be booked into jail on “a number of felony charges” when he is released.
Residents near West Britannia Street may notice an increased police presence as the investigation continues, but Taunton PD assured there is no danger to the community.
