Massachusetts State Police are asking for help finding the people who attacked and seriously injured an 82-year-old driver over nearly three miles in Boston last week.
The man remains in the hospital, police said, asking anyone who witnessed the attack — which spanned several neighborhoods — to share any cellphone footage they have of what happened.
The attack took place as the driver of a 1996 Buick Century approached the Bowker Overpass from Boylston Street in the Fenway neighborhood about 7:30 p.m. Thursday, police said. About 30-40 dirt bikes and ATVs approached his vehicle, forcing it onto the curb.
Riders smashed the car’s windows and the drive drove off onto Storrow Drive, hoping to get help from police, but several bikes and ATVs chased after him, kicking and hitting his car, officials said.
The driver took the Cambridge Street exit into Allston but was caught in traffic on the off-ramp. When he opened his window to ask people in another car to call 911, a male rider on foot started punching the driver through the opening, police said, while other riders kicked the car, threw a pipe through the back window and a rock through another window.
When traffic began moving, the driver turned onto Cambridge Street and made his way to a convenience store, nearly three miles from where the attack began, where he exited his car and fell on the ground, police said. An ambulance took him to a hospital, where he remains, though he’s expected to survive.
Anyone with information about what happened is asked to call police at 617-727-8817. Officials specifically asked that anyone who called 911 or has cellphone video of what happened to get in touch.
Police shared surveillance footage that shows the moments before the alleged assault.
In May, Boston police announced a crackdown on illegal dirt bikes, mopeds and scooters, arresting 18 people and taking 30 vehicles they said were tearing through streets recklessly and irresponsibly.
Earlier that month, a city councilor held a meeting to address off-road vehicles in Boston’s largest park, Franklin Park, where neighbors have said the disruptions they cause have gotten worse in recent years.
“I want people to have a place to blow off steam and do their thing but I don’t want it to be at the expense of families,” one resident said at the time.
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