HANSON, Mass. (WHDH/AP) — Police say a Plymouth man stole a police cruiser during an early-morning chase through several Massachusetts towns.
The chase started at about 1 a.m. Thursday when police saw a car speed through a stop sign in Hanson. Officers pursued, but the car did not stop and the driver turned off the lights.
The chase led to Halifax, where officers deployed tire-deflation devices to disable the car. The driver, however, fled on foot into the woods.
While police were searching the woods, the suspect stole the cruiser, and the chase resumed into Plympton where the driver was apprehended.
Authorities say Daniel Egan, 36, refused to get out of the cruiser after tire-deflation devices were used a second time. They say a 20-minute standoff ensued before officers used beanbag rounds to knock out the cruiser’s back window.
Officers finally unleashed a K9 unit to force Egan from the vehicle. He was taken to the hospital for treatment of a dog bite.
Family members say Eagan has mental health issues. Authorities say he was recently released from a mental health facility in Salem.
Egan was charged with several offenses, including operating to endanger and motor vehicle larceny. He ordered held without bail pending a psychiatric evaluation.
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