Sometimes you are a witness to only part of a story. This is neither good nor bad. Just reality.
Fred Root told the Arlington email list on Tuesday, June 23: “I was sitting in front of Quebrada bakery this am ~ 9:00 and someone drove a ways down Mass. Ave. the wrong way, boxing a woman in a SUV in and screaming at her to get out of her car. She tried to drive away.
“It appears she had hit a child at a construction site a block or two towards Lexington.
“Outbound, I saw near Sabatino’s what appeared to where it happened with police taking reports from witnesses and such.
“If it was close to reality, I expect I will be on the news tonight.
“Best wishes to the health of the child, and it’s good they caught the driver. Kudos to the person that got her because she would have been fine just driving off after hitting [a] child.”
The matter was not on the news that night, so I asked Capt. Richard Flynn for a police report. “No. 15014353” is titled “Road rage incident.”
The police description of events offers other perspectives about what may have occurred that summer morning.
“On Tuesday, June 23, at about 8:40 a.m.,” the reporting officer writes, [he] “was dispatched to the area of Mass. Ave. at Harlow Street for a report of a child that was struck by a motor vehicle and the vehicle allegedly fled the area.
“While en route, I was informed by [another officer] that he had the suspect vehicle at the corner of Mass. Ave. at Lake Street.
“Upon my arrival I spoke with the operator [name redacted] who stated that she did not strike a child.”
The driver provided police with her account, as reported by police.
“She stated that she was waiting at the red light at the corner of Mystic Street and Mass. Ave. She stated that there were two people on bikes in the vehicle lane also waiting to take a left turn.
“She stated the light turned green and the two bikes just sat there. At this point she beeped her horn to get the bikes to move.
“At this point the male bike rider moved to the right and began making a wide turn. The female bike operator then gave [the driver] the finger and moved to the left in the vehicle travel lane, next to the island.
“[The driver] stated that as she was taking the corner the female bike operator kept drifting over into her lane. She then passed the bike and continued onto Mass. Ave. and then stopped at the next set of lights.
“She stated that while at the next red light the male bike rider pulled up and tried to open her vehicle door. He then punched the window of the vehicle multiple times.
“[The driver said she] got scared and left the area until she saw [the Arlington officer who spoke with her].”
Still another town officer located the bike operator [name redacted], and he provided his account.
The cyclist “stated that he was at the set of lights waiting to take the turn when the light turned green. He stated that [the driver] then beeped her horn at them and he stated that he and his 19-year-old daughter [name redacted] began to move forward.
“He did state that his daughter did give [the driver] the finger.
“He stated that he went to the right and as he looked back he stated that he saw his daughter to the left fall over to the side.
“He stated that she was fine and went to school and he came back to find us.
“I informed both parties a report will be placed on file and to contact Arlington Police if there are any further problems.”
That is, no one faced charges. The report does not include details about a driver headed the wrong way on Mass. Ave.
NOTE: Names of members of the public in Arlington police reports are blacked out if the person faces no serious charge, is a juvenile or is a witness.
This report, which includes opinion, was published Monday, June 29, 2015. The photo is for illustration purposes only.
