CHASE VIDEO: Cape police pursuit starts in Dennis, ends in Middleboro…
MIDDLEBORO – HN began tracking a high speed pursuit which began in the area of Dennis on the Mid-Cape Highway… and a HN camera was rolling when it ended in Middleboro on Route 495…
At about 5:45PM, speeds were reaching as high as 80 MPH and state police were cautiously following.
Not long into the chase, state troopers deployed spike strips (also referred to over the radio as “stingers”) in the area of the Sagamore Bridge on Route 6.
According to radio traffic, the spikes had hit their mark, deflating the fleeing pickup truck’s front tires. This slowed the pursuit considerably…
According to WHDH, the pursuit had started in Dennis and the suspect possibly had a gun and had been threatening people.
As the chase ran along the Cape Cod Canal on Sandwich Road, officers learned the suspect was possibly suffering from mental illness. Because of his bipolar condition, and the fact he had not been been taking his medication, radio transmissions cautioned officers of the possibility of “suicide by cop.”
Police were told there were likely weapons inside the vehicle, but they were not sure whether or not they were real firearms or BB guns.
As the pursuit crossed the Bourne bridge onto Route 25, Dennis Police dispatch was attempting to negotiate with the driver. They were trying to convince him to pull over. The disturbed driver reportedly was anxious police would shoot his dog, which was with him inside of the fleeing pickup truck…
About this time, a helicopter from the Massachusetts State Police Airwing joined the pursuit…
TV News helicopters were also already overhead…
Police convinced the disturbed driver they would get an ambulance to show up on the highway and they would then get him help.
As the chase continued along Route 495, speeds were said to be about 20 to 30 miles per hour. The truck’s tires had completely disintegrated and its rims where gouging into the pavement.
An ambulance staged along the side of Route 495 near the Middleboro state police barracks…
Upon seeing the ambulance, the driver stopped. There were tense moments at gunpoint leading up to the driver finally stepping out and surrendering to police.
The suspect was taken by ambulance to a local hospital under heavy police security.
The dog was not harmed and was said to possibly be a Chihuahua, but that detail has not been officially confirmed….
The following video begins with dashcam footage right when the pursuit had slowed to speeds of 20 to 30 MPH. The video turns to HD footage after the stop, as troopers covered the pickup at gunpoint… No further details were available at the time of this report…
[Press play… Select HD in the settings and enlarge player for best quality…]
The following is WHDH News coverage of the chase (Reported by Susan Tran)…
1/7/2016
Robert Bastille,
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