An early morning scare at Encore Boston Harbor in Everett ended with a state trooper clipped by a fleeing car, as Massachusetts State Police say they are now hunting for the driver who sped out of the casino’s parking garage after a security screening. Troopers assigned to the Gaming Enforcement Unit had chased the person into the garage after casino security pulled them aside for a secondary check, and investigators say the suspect then took off at a high rate of speed, with the vehicle’s side mirror striking a trooper. The officer was not hurt, according to state police, and the case remains under investigation.
According to Boston 25 News, state police said the individual had been suspected of carrying a weapon inside the casino and bolted from security after that secondary screening. Members of the Gaming Enforcement Unit followed into the garage, and as the suspect exited at high speed, the car’s mirror made contact with the trooper, police said. By Friday afternoon, no arrest had been announced and authorities had not released any identifying information about the suspect.
Gaming-unit response and the site
The state police Gaming Enforcement Unit is the specialized team that handles law enforcement inside Massachusetts casinos, and it has previously worked investigations at Encore alongside the Attorney General’s office and local police departments. Encore sits on the Everett waterfront at 1 Broadway, and the resort’s size, layout, and steady stream of visitors help explain the heavier security presence compared with a typical neighborhood business. As detailed by Mass.gov, investigators have in past cases coordinated across multiple agencies on incidents at the resort.
What the law allows prosecutors to pursue
If the suspect is arrested and charged, prosecutors could look at offenses that include assault and battery on a public employee or on a police officer, since Massachusetts law provides enhanced penalties when the victim is a public safety worker. Per the Massachusetts General Court’s text of M.G.L. c.265 §13D, assault and battery on a police officer can bring tougher prison terms and fines and, in some circumstances, mandatory minimum sentences, especially where serious bodily injury occurs or there is an attempt to disarm an officer. Those statutory penalties are one reason alleged assaults on officers are often treated as priority charges by prosecutors…