TAUNTON, Mass. — 35-year-old Douglas Hagerty, arraigned in Taunton District Court, was charged with attacking multiple Taunton Police officers with a kitchen knife, including Police Chief Edward Walsh.
It all happened at an apartment at 55 West Britannia Street, where two police officers, plus the chief, were slashed and stabbed. One officer, who was stabbed in the face and back of the head was sent to a Boston Hospital. The officer’s injuries are considered serious but not life threatening.
Chief Walsh rushed into the scene from home.
“My shift lieutenant called me, told one of my officers had been stabbed in the face, so I responded,” Chief Walsh said.
The chief says he never saw the kitchen knife and didn’t even know he had been stabbed until after he tased the suspect.
“He came at me, lunged at me, and at that point I felt an impact on my body. I deployed the Taser, somehow. It was so fast, I can’t recount exactly what happened. I tased him, put him on the ground, and we cuffed him,” Chief Walsh said.
Police say it all started at 6:40 p.m. Tuesday night, when Hagerty, driving a Honda Accord, yelled at police who stopped another motorist and drove away.
A short time later, a Taunton Police officer spotted Hagerty driving erratically and tried to pull him over. During the stop, police say Hagerty sped off, almost hitting a police officer.
Hagerty allegedly drove straight at a marked cruiser, then struck another cruiser, before crashing into the West Britannia Street apartment house, and then ran inside where police found him.
Hagerty’s stepbrother, Dave, was in the basement.
“My brother is schizophrenic,” Dave said. “I can’t even believe he would do something like that, it’s a terrible thing.”
Taunton’s Police Chief says he’s proud of the way his officers responded, using non-lethal force in a chaotic, life-threatening situation.
“It’s not the best result we could hope for, but it’s better than other results that could have happened,” Walsh said.
Hagerty was charged with three counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, two counts of malicious damage to a motor vehicle, and one count each of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon-causing serious bodily injury, armed assault with intent to murder, resisting arrest, reckless operation of a motor vehicle, and failure to stop for police and was held without bail.
He was sent to Bridgewater State Hospital for a mental health evaluation.
He is due back in Taunton District Court on October 17 for a dangerousness hearing.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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