Police and Fire News

Citizens help nab armed man; Brewster crash; Pedestrian struck in Bourne; Street blocked after strange odor; Fingers severly lacerated

Power knocked out in Centerville
CENTERVILLE - Power was knocked out in a portion of Centerville around 11 p.m. Sunday. NStar equipment apparently malfunctioned and caught fire on a pole on Lumbert Mill Road. Crews were able to restore most power in about two hours.

Citizens thwart armed robber

    Police standby outside a Hyannis church as parishioners resume praying after a man tried to rob the collection plate at gunpoint.
HYANNIS - It was a dramatic scene in Hyannis Sunday evening. Witnesses apparently saw a man with a gun allegedly attempting to rob the collection plate at the Hyannis Portuguese Foursquare Church at 298 Main Street while services were in progress. Several citizens jumped into action tackling the man and holding him until police arrived. Luckily it turned out the gun was a replica and no one was injured. 45-year-old Clyde Bridges of Hyannis was arrested and charged with armed robbery while masked. He'll be arraigned Monday in Barnstable District Court. Photo by Frank Paparo.

Truck vs. Tree in Brewster

     The driver of this pickup truck lost control headed east on Satucket Road.
WEST BREWSTER - Around 4:30 p.m. Sunday, a GMC Sonoma pickup truck headed east on Satucket Road in the vicinity of Wintergreen Lane was involved in a one-vehicle crash that sent the driver to Cape Cod Hospital with unknown injuries. Evidence at the scene indicates that the truck ran up on the banking on the right side of the road as it exited a curve. The vehicle then came back on the roadway, crossed the center line, and ran up on the left shoulder plowing through brush and small trees. It then struck a dead pine tree just behind the driver-side door. The force of the collision snapped the top off the pine, which landed in the bed of the truck (right). The driver was the sole occupant. Brewster Police and Fire responded to the scene and an investigation is ongoing.
Story and photos by Kevin Morley.

Pedestrian struck in Buzzards Bay
BOURNE - A pedestrian was struck by a car in Buzzards Bay Sunday afternoon. It happened about 4 p.m. at the intersection of Main Street and Holt Street. The victim, a 10-year old boy who was skateboarding, was taken to Tobey Hospital in Wareham with injuries considered not life-threatening.  The driver of the car, 20-year-old Daniel Cardoza of Bourne, remained at the scene and will not face any charges.

Strange odor closes busy Hyannis street
HYANNIS - At around 11 a.m. Sunday Hyannis Fire responded to a call on Lewis Street that several of the employees at the Cape Cod Commercial Linen Service laundry saw some haze and light smoke and smelled what they described as an acid smell, from a private drain in the parking lot (not town drain) on Lewis Street . Hyannis Firefighters called for police to bring orange cones to the scene and block off Lewis Street at Baxter Road and at Bearses Road behind the Cumberland Farms off Barnstable Road. The FD also called for Barnstable health and building inspectors to respond to the scene. The street remained closed for a couple of hours until officials determined the source was from the commercial laundry. A quantity of a bleach like substance sodium-chlorite apparently reacted with water. No injuries were reported. A large truck was on scene into the afternoon working to check and clean up the situation. Story by Frank Paparo.

Man taken to CCH after severely cutting fingers
MASHPEE - A man was taken to CCH after severely cutting his fingers. The victim arrived at the Mashpee Fire HQ shortly after 1:30 p.m. and was transported by ambulance. Its not clear how the accident happened.

Alarm system saves Yarmouth home from major blaze

YARMOUTH - An alarm system alerted firefighters to a fire at 24 Rebecca Lane about 11 a.m. Sunday morning. They discovered an aquarium had caught fire. The fire was quickly put out. There was smoke damage but without the alarm the house may well have been gutted. No one was injured.