Date: September 12, 1995 11:08:09 AM
Subject: True Story: Howard was in a gun fight this morning...
About an hour ago (9:10AM 9/12/95) I witnessed a high speed chase and gunfight on Storrow Drive. I'm really glad I tried to get into work early this morning. :-)
I was heading East on Storrow coming out of the tunnel just before the Government center exit.
Government
Center Onramp
Exit
\ \ <--Eastbound /
P3\ \ / /
Grass \ \ / /
X\ ============================== /
======== 3 ========
P1 2 1
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
P2 P
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
<----- C --------
=========================================================
I was in the right lane and traffic was moving slowly (nothing unusual). I had heard sirens just before and it came from some vehicle traveling westbound. When I started hearing sirens again I assumed they were also westbound, but they weren't. While at "1" above a police car came on the onramp with sirens blazing moving really frantically through the traffic, or at least trying too. Cars were pulling over to the right to let him through but it was crowded. The siren was blaring with all the extra noises.
Anyway, he went by and while at "2" I heard more sirens so I pulled over to "3" (I honestly think you should loose your drivers license for not getting out of the way of an emergency vehicle, this experience only reinforces that.) Another cop goes by with sirens blaring. Lots of other folks pulled over and by this time the left lane is empty and the middle lane had only one or two cars in it, the right lane is filled.
Then I heard a "pop" behind me, I turned and looked and saw a Policeman at "P" standing in the road about 50 feet from me shooting at a white "Camaro-like" car driving by. The right front of the "Camaro" was all banged up and it was moving at about 60 MPH (speed limit on Storrow is 35, but it's not uncommon to go 55'ish) I saw him fire (about) four shots at the car as it drove by. The first when the car was next to the cop and the last when the car was across from me (where the "C" is).
I thought about ducking down and did for a moment (I guess the right choice) but then got back up to keep watching (probably the wrong choice). I believe the Camaro took the Government center exit but I didn't see it do so. If it did, I don't know how it made it past the cars on the ramp.
When I looked up I saw two police cars (this was all state police for you local types, not sure if MDC or not) at P1 and P2. A red sedan (civilian?) was on the grass by the exit at "X". There was at least one police car on the grass at P3. The exit ramp was pretty filled with cars. I saw at least two cops running around the cars on the exit ramp with their guns drawn. They ran away from their cars and then back into them. The cars then took off across the grass onto the exit ramp leaving a hugh cloud of dust. I'm not sure if other police cars came up from behind me and took the ramp to follow.
People just sort of sat around doing nothing. Just like deers in the middle of the road. I turned back and looked and saw one car (van?) in the middle lane perpendicular to the road about where the cop was standing and shooting. I saw the driver get out of the van and just kind of shake his head and look dumbfounded. He seemed fine. We sat around for a while, I'm not really sure how long, but not very. Then we started moving, I assume because the light at the end of exit ramp changed. The police cars at P1 and P2 were blocking traffic from moving down Storrow and there wasn't much moving behind me. As I drove by the ramp I saw that the red sedan was banged up and the cloud of dust was still really thick.
I got to work a few minutes later. My boss subscribes to DisasterNet, a pager service that reports on local accidents, etc. This was on it. He said it started around Chinatown (basically across town) and that one person (a cop?) was down with a head wound. A few minutes later it was reported that the suspect was apprehended. That's all I know so far.
Why don't they open bars at 9:30AM? :-) I guess I'll just have to settle for coffee.
A headhunter called as I started writing this note. She asked if it was a good time to talk and I said "no, it really wasn't". She commented that I sounded kind of frazzled and I said "Well you'll hear about it on the news tonight, I just witnessed a gunfight on Storrow Drive." She was shocked and said she would call back some other more convenient time. :-)
Howard
I had saved the Boston Globe and Boston Herald's from the next day and actually found them now. The Herald's cover story is "Wild chase grips school in fear". The car was a corvette, it was stolen a few days before. He was pulled over for not having a registration sticker. A woman and child got out of the car and it sped away, hitting a cop. The chase started and after my involvement he drove through the city a while before being shot in the leg outside a Chinatown elementary school while kids were arriving. No children were hurt. The Globe headline is "Police defend gunfire outside Boston school". The articles had the guys name, George Correia. He was 24 years old at the time of the incident and the Herald described him as "a bold career criminal with at least 70 prior offenses".
A little googling found this 2004 appeal decision. "Following trial, the jury convicted Correia on twenty-one of the forty-eight counts: assault and battery with the Corvette (1 count); assault with the Corvette (1); receiving stolen goods (2); leaving the scene after causing personal injury or vehicle damage (11); and failing to stop for a police officer (6). (1) The trial judge denied Correia's ensuing motions for a new trial, and sentenced him to imprisonment for 12 to 17 years, well within the sentencing range prescribed by statute." His appeal was that the sentence was too harsh but was denied.
The main headline in the Globe is "Clinton raps national service cuts", it begins "President Clinton, with Republican businessman Mitt Romney by his side, assailed GOP-controlled congressional panels yesterday for voting to abolish federal aid to the AmeriCorps national service programs."
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