Man stole two cars, got into several hit-and-run crashes in Boston, DA says

Yahoo

14-07-2025

A Boston man is facing charges after he stole two cars and got into several hit-and-run crashes across the city in January 2024, the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office announced Monday.
Carmen Polito, 42, is charged with several counts of leaving the scene of a car crash involving property damage, two counts of receiving a stolen motor vehicle and one count of operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license, the district attorney's office said in a press release.
On Jan. 20, 2024, Boston police responded to a 911 call reporting that a person was trying to open car doors on Commonwealth Avenue shortly after 10:30 p.m., the district attorney's office said. Witnesses told police they saw the suspect — who was later identified as Polito — trying to open car doors while holding a knife and trying to get into a car while it was stopped at a red light.
Shortly after, a 911 call reported a hit-and-run crash at the intersection of Massachusetts and Commonwealth Avenues in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood, the district attorney's office said. The caller said he was parked on the street when a black Mercedes sideswiped his truck, causing minor damage.
The caller reported that he then saw the Mercedes — which was later determined to have been stolen and driven by Polito — 'plow' into a Nissan Rogue, causing it to crash into another car, the district attorney's office said. Witnesses told police they saw the Mercedes reverse and drive forward multiple times while crashing into the Nissan.
A third 911 call then reported a hit-and-run crash in which they were sideswiped by a Nissan SUV near the intersection of Belvidere Street and Massachusetts Avenue, the district attorney's office said. A fourth 911 call reported seeing an SUV driving in loops and crashing into vehicles on Westland Avenue.
Soon after, a Massachusetts State Police trooper spotted the stolen Nissan on Frontage Road, the district attorney's office said. He pursued the SUV into Quincy where he pulled it over.
Polito was soon identified as the driver, the district attorney's office said. He was taken to a local hospital for a mental health evaluation and was admitted for 'extended treatment.'
'This hectic and dangerous incident left drivers frightened, cars damaged and the safety of motorists and pedestrians along its extended route seriously threatened,' Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden said in the release. 'Given all the havoc that transpired in such a short span, it's very fortunate that no one was injured.'
Polito has a 13-page criminal record and has been convicted on various assault charges including assault and battery on a police officer, the district attorney's office said. In January 2023, he was sentenced to two years in prison in connection with leading police on a foot chase near Northeastern University before being subdued with a beanbag round.
A judge held Polito on $2,000 during his arraignment in Roxbury District Court on Thursday, the district attorney's office said. He is set to return to court on July 17.
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