Two people in Massachusetts managed to get away from police in a pair of stolen Dodge Challengers, only for their escape route to eventually bring them right back. Auburn Police say the encounter began around 3:12 a.m. on October 1 when an officer spotted both cars speeding along Washington Street.
Officer Lareau clocked the Challengers traveling 60 mph in a 40 mph zone before attempting a traffic stop. Police say both drivers instead accelerated to speeds well over 100 mph, prompting the officer to back off rather than begin a high-speed pursuit.
Neighboring police departments continued tracking the vehicles after they left Auburn, and one of the Challengers eventually crashed. Its driver then got into the second Challenger, allowing both suspects to continue their escape together in the remaining stolen car.
That might have put some distance between the pair and Auburn Police, but officers soon received word that the Challenger was heading back toward the town. Rather than chase it, officers positioned themselves ahead of the vehicle and waited for it to return.
Stop Sticks Make the Challenger a Little Less Challenging
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Once the Challenger returned to Auburn, Officer Hemingway successfully deployed stop sticks and deflated its tires. The department joked that the Challenger became “considerably less challenging” without air in those tires, and the car crashed a short distance later.
The occupants abandoned the vehicle and ran, shifting the search from the roadway to the surrounding area. Auburn officers and Massachusetts State Police established a perimeter while Officer Ljunggren deployed K9 Biza and Officer Laskes launched a drone overhead.
Biza tracked through the woods before locating one person curled up and hiding behind a business along Route 20, according to police. Officers found the second person nearby, bringing an escape involving two stolen muscle cars, speeds above 100 mph, and two crashes to an end.
18-Year-Old and Juvenile Taken Into Custody
Police identified one of the people arrested as 18-year-old Jaelen Cannon Feraud of Worcester. He faces multiple charges, including failure to stop for police, negligent operation, operating with a suspended license, possession of burglary tools, and receiving a stolen motor vehicle.
The second person was identified only as a 16-year-old juvenile from Worcester, and police said the juvenile is also facing charges. The department did not specify those charges in its announcement or identify which suspect had been driving each Challenger before the first vehicle crashed.
Auburn Police credited neighboring departments and Massachusetts State Police with helping keep track of the Challengers without an unnecessary high-speed pursuit. Between stop sticks on the road, a K9 on the ground and a drone overhead, returning to Auburn ultimately gave the pair considerably fewer places to go.
Guessing Headlights searched the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office’s inmate list for additional information concerning this arrest, but nothing publicly available could be found. As always, this is an arrest, not a conviction, and the suspect is considered innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.