CHARLTON, MASS. (WHDH) - A 33-year-old man from Lowell is facing a number of OUI and motor vehicle charges after state police say he caused multiple crashes on the Mass Pike before his arrest over the weekend.
Massachusetts State Police spokesman David Procopio said Carlos Rodriguez is facing at least twelve separate charges after troopers arrested him in Charlton Sunday evening.
According to Procopio, it was around 5:30 p.m. when state police started receiving multiple reports of a gold Cadillac being driven erratically on the Pike headed westbound, causing multiple crashes as he continued to drive.
When located by troopers at the 82.8 mile marker in Charlton, the suspect refused to stop and caused a pursuit that soon ended after the suspect caused another crash, leading the pursuing trooper to stop and tend to the crash victim(s).
Procopio said a total of two vehicles allegedly struck by Rodriguez included a Toyota RAV 4 SUV driven by a 62-year-old from Utica, NY, and an Audi Q5 driven by an 80 year-old-man from West Simsbury, Conn.
He added that the Audi also had a passenger, a 52-year-old woman, who was taken to Harrington Hospital for what officials called “possible injuries.” Neither drivers were believed to be hurt.
The Cadillac, later identified as a 2014 Cadillac XTS sedan, ended up being abandoned after crashing, with Rodriguez running into a wooded area by a median strip, with multiple witnesses calling authorities and describing his direction.
A homeowner in Charlton soon informed police that he had seen a man run through his backyard, leading state police to the area where they spotted Rodriguez as he ran into the woods behind the home.
Procopio said after running 500 yards into a thick forest despite being told to stop multiple times, Rodriguez ended up in a swamp where troopers caught up with him, subduing him in waist-deep water as he allegedly put up a struggle.
“During the entire interaction Troopers made observations of Rodriguez consistent with intoxication, including an odor of alcohol, bloodshot and glassy eyes, and difficulty remaining steady on his feet,” Procopio stated in a news release.
Rodriguez was later taken to the MSP’s Charlton Barracks, only to be transported to Harrington Hospital after “complaining of pain.”
He was then booked at the hospital and taken back to the barracks after being treated.
On Monday morning, Rodriguez was to be arraigned at Dudley District Court. The charges he faces include:
- OUI Liquor, second offense
- Operating with a suspended license (license suspended for OUI)
- Operating while OUI after license suspension
- Operating after license revocation for being a habitual traffic offender
- Failure to stop for police
- Leaving the scene of a crash that caused personal injury
- Leaving the scene of a crash that caused property damage
- Unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle
- Negligent operation of a motor vehicle
- Possession of alcohol in an open container in a motor vehicle
- Assault and battery on a police officer
- Resisting arrest
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