Two Massachusetts State Police troopers were assaulted last week in two separate incidents of violence against law enforcement officials, including one in which a trooper was nearly struck by a fleeing motorcyclist, police said.
“These incidents were brazen and deliberately violent assaults perpetrated by motivated offenders on public servants who were engaged in their duties to protect our roads, our communities, our citizens and our visitors,” said Col. John Mawn Jr., superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police.
Police said a trooper saw a motorcyclist operating erratically on Interstate 95 on July 5. The trooper approached the operator when he stopped on an off-ramp in Wakefield.
The trooper ordered the operator, later identified as Colin James Webb, 19, of Reading, to turn off the bike’s engine and dismount.
Webb allegedly refused to comply — and at one point turned the bike’s ignition on after it had been shut off — and then drove forward as the trooper was in front of the handlebars and front wheel.
The incident was captured on dashcam video.
The trooper was able to disengage from the motorcycle as it continued forward. He narrowly avoided being hit by a pickup truck passing through the intersection, police said.
Webb fled the area but was apprehended two days later. He is facing several charges, including assault and battery
On Tuesday, police arrested Hernan Aybar Romero, 24, of Lawrence, who was wanted for an assault on a trooper that happened late last week.
Aybar Romero was stopped for motor vehicle violations in Tewksbury on Interstate 495 on Friday. Police said he had four outstanding warrants for his arrest, including for charges of drug trafficking.
After getting out of his vehicle, police allege Aybar Romero became violent and assaulted the trooper as he was being put in handcuffs. He was able to get back into his vehicle and flee the area.
Investigators later tracked Aybar Romero to an apartment in Lawrence, where he was arrested Tuesday. He is facing several charges, including assault and battery on a police officer and assault with a dangerous weapon.
The trooper involved in the incident was treated and released from Lowell General Hospital.
