TAUNTON, MASS. (WHDH) - A suspect was taken into custody Tuesday night after five police officers were hurt in a knife attack in Taunton, officials said.
The incident began around 6:45 p.m., when the suspect showed up at an unrelated traffic stop near the intersection of County and Hart streets and began yelling at officers, according to police. The suspect, officials said, was “not affiliated with the stopped motorist” and eventually left the area in his car.
A short time later, Police Chief Edward Walsh said another officer spotted the suspect driving erratically and pulled him over.
But the suspect allegedly fled the traffic stop, nearly hitting an officer, and prompting a police chase that ended when he crashed his vehicle into the entryway of a home on West Britannia Street, Walsh said.
That home was later determined to be his residence.
Walsh said the man ran into the house, pulled out a knife, and began waving it at officers. One officer who suffered cuts to his face and the back of his head was taken by medical helicopter to a Boston hospital for treatment, according to police.
The other injured officers, including Walsh, were treated at local hospitals.
The suspect, later identified as Douglas Hagerty, 35, was subdued with a stun gun and later treated at a local hospital.
In addition to Walsh, Taunton Mayor Shaunna O’Connell also spoke after Tuesday’s events, saying members of the Taunton Police Department “never know what they’re going to face” when they walk out their doors on their way to work.
“Today we had some of our police officers injured,” O’Connell said.
“When our police officers are injured and hurt, that affects the whole entire department, it affects this whole entire community,” O’Connell continued.
O’Connell said “We stand by our law enforcement officers,” adding “They did an excellent job tonight.”
“We are grateful for their service to this community, for their sacrifice to this community and our thoughts and prayers are with them and their families at this time,” O’Connell said.
In an update on Wednesday morning, the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office identified Hagerty, as well as the multiple charges he now faces, which include:
- Assault and Battery with a Dangerous Weapon (3x counts)
- Assault with a Dangerous Weapon (2x counts)
- Malicious Damage to a Motor Vehicle (2x counts)
- Assault and Battery with a Dangerous Weapon-Causing Serious Bodily Injury
- Armed Assault with Intent to Murder
- Resisting Arrest
- Reckless Operation of a Motor Vehicle
- Failure to Stop for Police
Hagerty was scheduled to appear in Taunton District Court later Wednesday morning.
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