All lanes of I-495 have now reopened
All lanes of I-495 have now reopened
All lanes of I-495 have now reopened
Two men are dead after a multi-town manhunt and subsequent police standoff along the Interstate 495 corridor on Tuesday, the Worcester and Middlesex County District Attorneys announced.
The series of events began at the Shops at Highland Commons parking lot in Berlin, Massachusetts, at 3:30 p.m.
According to Berlin police, officers were on their way to the shopping plaza for a reported assault when they heard that shots were also possibly fired at the scene.
When officers arrived, they found a man who suffered injuries from several gunshot wounds. Aid was rendered to the victim, but he was later pronounced dead at the scene.
Witnesses described hearing the gunshots ring out.
“We were getting food and you just hear a loud ‘Bang!'” one witness said.
“The person was just lying right there, very still on the ground. It didn’t really look that good,” Connor Harold said.
Video: District attorneys provide update on Berlin, I-495 events
“At the same time events were unfolding at the shopping plaza, a witness from the plaza followed a car containing the alleged suspect onto I-495 North,” Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan said in a press conference.
The witness was able to follow the vehicle, a gray pickup truck, onto I-495, where officers were able to bring it to a stop on the highway, near the Lowell Connector.
“State police deployed emergency services, he pulled over, which is when the chase came to a stop,” Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early said.
At some point during an hours-long standoff that followed the chase, the suspect self-inflicted a fatal gunshot wound, a preliminary investigation found. The man’s name has not been released.
Video: Police engage in standoff on I-495
A robot dog, drone and non-lethal rounds were used by SWAT teams to breach the suspect’s car and confirm that he was deceased.
Several agencies responded to the scene, including crisis negotiation, the Department of Field Services, the bomb squad, drone unit and police from the Middlesex District County’s Office.
The suspect has “some criminal history,” Early confirmed. Early said he could not go into detail on the suspect and the victim’s previous relationship.
Traffic was shut down in both directions of I-495 as a result.
Sky5 captured most of the standoff on video, which began at the start of the evening rush hour, just after 4 p.m.
All southbound traffic on I-495 reopened shortly after the standoff.
Just before 10 p.m., all lanes of traffic on I-495, including the northbound lanes, reopened.
Both the suspect and victim are male, Early confirmed. Police have not revealed their identities.
Berlin police, Massachusetts State Police and state police detectives assigned to both the Worcester County and Middlesex County District Attorney’s offices are investigating the incidents.
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