Traffic & Transit

Fatal Grafton Street Crash Came After Police Stop

Two people died in the Saturday crash in Worcester, which stemmed from a road rage incident, police said.

Two people died in a crash Saturday in Worcester along Grafton Street.
Two people died in a crash Saturday in Worcester along Grafton Street. (Neal McNamara/Patch)

WORCESTER, MA — A crash early Saturday in Worcester that left two people dead started as a road rage incident in the Canal District, according to police.

Worcester police said an SUV driver almost hit a pedestrian walking along Water Street near 12:15 a.m., and that led to a confrontation where one of the people in the SUV pointed what appeared to be a gun at the pedestrian.

A short time later and several miles south along Grafton Street, police stopped the SUV. The driver fled from the stop and then crashed near the Roosevelt School. The vehicle hit a curb then crossed into oncoming traffic before hitting a tree and flipping over, police said.

A 34-year-old woman died at the scene of the crash, and the 35-year-old driver died at a local hospital. Five other people were seriously injured and taken to local hospitals.

Police found an pellet gun in the car that resembled a handgun.