Man Flees State Police, Crashes in Dartmouth

At 9:05 a.m. today a trooper was traveling on Route 195 eastbound in Dartmouth when he observed a 2000 Mercury Marquis sedan being driven by a man wearing large headphones. The troopers stopped the vehicle on Route 195 at Reed Road. The male operator refused to provide his license or registration, rolled his window back up, and sped away. The trooper lost sight of the suspect vehicle but followed in the direction in which it had driven off, southbound along Reed Road.

When the trooper reached the intersection of Reed Road at Route 6, he observed that the Mercury had crashed on Reed just south of the intersection. The suspect vehicle appeared to have struck a second car, a 2009 Toyota Corolla, and then hit a utility pole. The trooper immediately took the suspect who had fled from the earlier stop into custody. He is identified as Jovan Rivers, 31, of Fall River. Rivers refused medical treatment at the scene.

The trooper then checked on the driver of the Corolla, a 69-year-old Westport woman, who stated that she was not injured and refused treatment at the scene. The trooper called for EMS to respond anyway as a precaution.

Meanwhile, the Mercury Marquis that Rivers was driving caught fire. The initial trooper on scene and another trooper who had backed him up extinguished the fire.

Rivers was transported to the State Police-Dartmouth Barracks and booked on charges of negligent operation of a motor vehicle; impeded operation of a motor vehicle; failure to stop for police; and refusing to identify himself. He later was transported from the Barracks to St. Luke’s Hospital for medical examination. Troopers will guard him until his examined and then return him to the barracks. He will eventually be transported to New Bedford District Court for arraignment.

Both vehicles were towed from the scene.

No further information is being released at this time.

--Massachusetts State Police