In a strange turn of events, a building has been the victim of a hit-and-run crash in Brockton, Massachusetts that took place in the early morning hours on Tuesday. The Brockton Police Department received an alarm from the main entrance of the Westgate Mall at approximately 2:40 AM. The mall, which is located on 200 Westgate Road in Brockton, suffered extensive damage as a result of the crash. Responding officers have stated that the driver of the vehicle fled on foot sometime after the accident occurred.
Upon their arrival on scene, Brockton Police Officers discovered that the Westgate Mall had sustained various degrees of damage to the entrance located near the Subway restaurant chain. Initial reports have indicated that two glass entryways to the mall had been completely smashed through by the vehicle. As a direct result of this occurrence, broken glass littered the ground surrounding the entryway and the metal frame supporting the doors had been damaged. Responding officers indicated that the metal frames had been bent and twisted as a result of the collision with the suspect’s vehicle.
While the suspect was nowhere to be found once officers arrived on scene, the Brockton Police Department was able to locate the vehicle they believe was involved in the accident. According to preliminary reports, officers found an abandoned blue Volkswagen sedan in a nearby parking lot. The parking lot, which is located at 265 Westgate Drive, belongs to a Shields MRI building. Upon discovering the vehicle, police began to conduct an investigation in an effort to gain any possible evidence for the case. The car reportedly showed signs of damage as well. These damages included scratches along the sides and rear of the Volkswagen sedan, and the vehicle also had a broken rear window when police officers began their investigation. No word has been given yet on whether officers were able to locate the owner of the vehicle or if they believe the owner is also the suspect in question.
Brockton Police Officers have stated that they are actively looking to locate the driver of the vehicle that crashed through the Westgate Mall early Tuesday morning. They have not provided information on any possible leads at this time.
The general manager for the Westgate Mall, Lou Villani, issued a statement following the accident. He stated that the mall was currently in “repair and cleanup mode” for the time being and that he hoped they would be able to have the area up and running as normal by midday Tuesday. He went on to say that the entrance that suffered damages was one of six entrances into the Westgate Mall, and that customers would be able to access the mall through one of the additional entrances as repairs were being made.
The Brockton Police Department is still actively investigating the events surrounding the accident and any possible suspects. No injuries were immediately reported, although that could potentially change once officers are able to track down and question the suspect who crashed their vehicle through the front doors of the mall.
Additional information may be found at the following link: http://www.wickedlocal.com/article/20150915/NEWS/150917731/12581/NEWS?rssfeed=true