BOSTON (WHDH) - An arrest has been made in connection with a wild crash near the Boston Public Garden on Thursday that left a woman critically injured, officials said.
Keith Andrade, 58, of Boston, will be arraigned in Boston Municipal Court in connection with the crash near the intersection of Charles and Boylston streets around 4:30 p.m. that left a stolen black pickup truck severely damaged and a pedestrian hospitalized with life-threatening injuries, according to Boston police.
Officers responding to a report of a pedestrian struck in the area of Boylston and Charles streets found an abandoned truck that had collided with the gate to the Public Garden and a woman lying unconscious on the ground, police said.
The victim was taken to a local hospital. There was no immediate word on her condition.
Witnesses Donny Saarela said the injured woman was struck by flying debris after that truck hit an iron fence.
“First thing I heard was the screeching of the wheel, which made me look,” he said. “I was watching, and all of a sudden he just hit everything and everything went flying, and all the smoke in the air.”
Saarela said he called 911 after realizing the woman was pinned under the debris.
“I think she was just standing there waiting for the cross signal when the truck hit everything. It just scared everybody,” he said.
Several other witnesses said they saw the driver of the truck “casually walking across Charles Street attempting to blend in with the crowd” after the crash, according to police.
Around 8:30 p.m., investigators spotted Andrade in the area of Washington and School streets and took him into custody.
He is facing charges including larceny of a motor vehicle, operating a motor vehicle without a license, assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon, reckless operation of a motor vehicle, and leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident resulting in personal injury.
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