WORCESTER County – According to the Webster Police Department, the teen driver of a vehicle stolen in Southbridge fled police in Webster and Douglas on a chase that also entered Uxbridge early Tuesday morning.
At around 1 AM on Tuesday, Aug. 2, a Webster Police officer began following a car that matched the description of stolen vehicle broadcast by the South Worcester County Communication Center. Another officer deployed “stop sticks,” a tire deflation device, at an East Main Street intersection in anticipation of the vehicle fleeing a traffic stop.
When the officer following the vehicle attempted to initiate a stop, the vehicle fled toward the intersection with the stop sticks, but managed to avoid them and enter Route 16 towards Douglas. Three Webster police vehicles pursued the driver onto Lower Gore Road, with speeds reaching up to 80 miles per hour, and into Douglas. The driver entered Uxbridge for a short time, before returning back into Douglas.
The Webster Police Department says its officers believed the chase had ended when the driver pulled a cul-de-sac on Kelly Circle in Douglas. Instead, the driver quickly reversed direction, striking one Webster police vehicle and leaving it disabled. Douglas Police officers took over the pursuit from there, with one Webster Police unit in support.
The pursuit continued for around three more miles before the driver flipped the vehicle and was taken into custody without further incident.
The driver, Malikye Puello-Coates, 18, of Southbridge, was treated at a local hospital for minor injuries and released. He was arraigned at Dudley District Court on charges brought by both the Webster and Southbridge Police Departments.
Webster Police filed charges against Puello-Coates for:
- Failing to Stop for Police
- Reckless Operation of a Motor Vehicle
- Speeding
- Marked Lanes Violation
- Unlicensed Operation of a Motor Vehicle
- Receiving a Stolen Motor Vehicle
Southbridge Police filed charges against Puello-Coates for:
- Carjacking;
- Larceny of a Motor Vehicle;
- Assault and Battery With a Dangerous Weapon (Motor Vehicle);
- Leaving The Scene of a Personal Injury Accident; and
- Unlicensed Licensed Operation of a Motor Vehicle
The Douglas Police Department is also expected to file charges in the case.
Editor’s note: The information provided in this report is based on recent events as described by police. The claims within are allegations by police which may be challenged by the accused in court.
