Overnight Chaos: Seven Juveniles Arrested After Wild Multi-Town Police Chase
A routine traffic stop in Norwood, Massachusetts, spiraled into a dramatic, multi-town police pursuit early this week, culminating in the arrest of seven teenagers and shining a spotlight on the serious risks of juvenile crime and stolen vehicles.
The ordeal began around 1:50 a.m. when an officer with the Norwood Police Department noticed two vehicles, an Infiniti SUV and a red Lincoln, making an illegal U-turn after exiting a Mobil gas station near Route 1 and Dean Street. What the officer quickly discovered was that this was no simple traffic violation. Both cars had been reported stolen, and they had just been used in a shoplifting incident at the gas station minutes earlier.
When the officer attempted to initiate a stop, the drivers of both vehicles refused to pull over, setting off a high-speed chase through the suburban streets south of Boston. The pursuit quickly became a multi-agency operation, weaving through Norwood and into the neighboring towns of Westwood and Dedham.
The chaos first came to a head in Dedham. The stolen Infiniti crashed on Route 1 at Washington Street. Three occupants immediately bolted from the wreck on foot, leading officers on a search that eventually netted two juvenile girls near a nearby Lowe’s. They were taken to Boston Medical Center to be treated for minor injuries. A third juvenile was apprehended and arrested right at the crash scene. The driver of the Infiniti, however, managed to slip away and was not immediately found.
While Dedham police were managing the crash scene and the initial arrests, the second stolen car, the red Lincoln, was still on the road. A Westwood officer spotted it traveling southbound on Route 1, leading police into Walpole and eventually to the Foxborough town line. This is where officers from the Foxborough Police Department deployed spike strips, a tactic that successfully ended the dangerous pursuit. The Lincoln collided with a guardrail, bringing the chase to a final stop.
The occupants of the Lincoln were also taken to the hospital before being detained by police. In total, authorities confirmed the arrest of seven juveniles, all between the ages of 13 and 15. Six of the arrested teens are from Boston, and one is from Worcester. They are now all facing a number of charges related to the chase, the stolen vehicles, and the shoplifting incident.
Norwood police praised the efforts of the numerous departments involved in the apprehension. “Their coordinated response, communication and willingness to step in at critical moments were instrumental in safely apprehending all suspects and protecting the public,” the department said in a statement, highlighting the teamwork between Dedham, Westwood, Walpole, and Foxborough police, as well as the Massachusetts State Police. The incident underscores the serious safety risks that stolen vehicles and high-speed pursuits pose to the community and the law enforcement officers who have to navigate them.