SOUTH DEERFIELD — Police say the incident last week where a man crashed into the side of a vacant building on Greenfield Road was a suicide attempt, during which the driver allegedly demanded that responding officers shoot him.
According to a statement from the Deerfield Police Department, officers responded to a call at 250 Greenfield Road, known as the former Gables Restaurant, at around 4 p.m. on July 15. When the property owner approached the vehicle to offer help to its lone occupant, the driver stepped on the gas and drove his Toyota Corolla into the building, knocking down one of the walls.
The building, which had a sign out front indicating it is for sale, is across the street from a self-storage facility and a Volvo dealership. Nobody was inside the building at the time of the crash.
When officers arrived, the man allegedly exited the vehicle and claimed to have murdered his family. Police say the man then demanded the officers shoot him. He had blood on his clothes that was inconsistent with injuries from the crash.
Based on the man’s statements, his family was located and found unharmed, according to police. A dog, which the man had said was the reason he was in Deerfield, was located and being cared for in Springfield.
After the situation was de-escalated, South County EMS, with assistance from Deerfield Fire Department, transported the man to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield with significant injuries as a result of the crash.
Deerfield Police were assisted by the Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office and Crime Scene Services Section, as well as local police in the community where the man resides.