*** WATCH *** Fleeing suspect tries to ram cruiser, crashes on...

UPDATE – 8PM – 7/13/22: The suspect in a wild hit-and-run chase scene is looking at a long list of serious charges. John F. Kennedy, age 58, of South Yarmouth, was arrested and charged with the following:

– Leaving the Scene of MV Crash with Property Damage
– Negligent Operation of a Motor Vehicle
– Failure to Stop for Police
– Assault with a Dangerous Weapon (Motor Vehicle)
– Resisting Arrest
– Operating Under the Influence of Liquor – 2ND OFFENSE
– Assault
– Speeding at Rate of Speed Greater Than Reasonable and Proper
– Marked Lanes Violation
………………..
INITIAL HN REPORT:

BARNSTABLE – It started as a hit and run investigation that may have ended up involving several vehicles… but then a patrolman suddenly spotted the suspect vehicle and it was off to the races.

The pursuit went several blocks before doubling back on Independence Drive, where speeds began to worry officers now making their way through moderate traffic. Officers managed to get the suspect’s full license plate just before calling off the pursuit due to safety concerns. Squad cars then began to fan out in the area without lights and sirens until one patrolman observed the vehicle in the area of the Cummaquid Cemetery on Mary Dunn Road in Barnstable Village. It was then, in a last-ditch act of desperation, that the driver tried to make his getaway traveling east along the nearby railroad tracks. The vehicle made it about 100 yards from Mary Dunn Road before becoming stuck. A patrolman was able to catch up to the suspect on foot, taking him down with the assistance of his Taser.

A train leaving Hyannis needed to be delayed while a tow truck company and a police officer removed the vehicle.

Ryan Coholan, Chief Railroad Officer for the MBTA and Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MASSDOT) happens to live here on the Cape, in a nearby village. Police were able to reach him by phone and he was able to make it to the scene to assist and inspect the tracks. Chief Cohohan told HN that there was no structural damage to the tracks, just one broken electrical wire that provides backup current for the railroad gates. Since the wire has a number of backups there was no real issue with things working just fine for tonight’s train. The wire will be fixed asap. There was concern that the train may not have time to make the 20-minute canal bridge window… but thanks to everyone’s hustle and diligence, the summer train that travels between Cape Cod and Boston would be able to make the canal bridge on time, with about 10 minutes to spare.

The driver was Tasered and checked out by a mutual aid ambulance from Yarmouth. Police sources tell HN he will be charged with OUI, Failing to Stop for Police, Driving to Endanger, Leaving the Scene, and other violations.

[DEVELOPING] HN will provide official updates as they become available. The following HN Video contains actual police radio transmissions from the pursuit, along with footage of the suspect vehicle stuck on the railroad tracks.

[HN VIDEO – PRESS PLAY]