May 31, 2008 2:50 pm US/Eastern
Alleged Drag Racer Runs Over Woman
Woman May Lose Leg After Being Run Over By Speeding Car
JAMAICA PLAIN (WBZ) ―
A woman was seriously injured when she was run over by a car that police say was drag racing with another vehicle on Hyde Park Avenue in Jamaica Plain Friday night. Police say the cars then fled the scene.
The 65-year-old woman was hit along Hyde Park Avenue near Eldridge Road around 7:30 p.m. as she was trying to cross the street at a crosswalk. Boston police say the woman may lose one of her legs. She is being treated at Brigham and Women's hospital.
The vehicle the struck the woman was quickly pulled over by police after it fled the scene because officers had spotted the vehicles drag racing just prior to the pedestrian crash.
Boston police said an officer was in pursuit of the cars after they squealed out at Walk Hill Street and raced off. Police said sometimes drivers pull up to each other at intersections, give each other a nod and start racing. It's unknown if the two drivers in this case knew each other.
Police have the 17-year-old driver, Kenneth Mauras, in custody, and he was being questioned Friday night. The teen told police he was not aware an officer was behind them during the incident.
Police said Mauras, who was driving the red Honda sedan believed to have hit the woman, has been charged with driving to endanger, leaving the scene after causing personal injury, drag racing and operating without a license. The teen has also been cited with speeding, weaving and failure to stop/slow for a pedestrian.
Police are still searching for the driver of the other car, believed to be a black Acura Integra with tinted windows.
"The other car took a left in the area and fled from the scene. We're actively looking to see if we can identify that (car)," said Boston police superintendent Daniel Linskey. "We're looking to see if we can track down some surveillance footage."
Anyone with information about the location of the black Acura or its driver is asked to contact detectives at 617-343-5607. Anonymous tips can be placed at 1-800-494-TIPS.
While the woman's condition is serious, she is expected to survive, police said.
Neighbors say the stretch of Hyde Park Avenue near Eldridge Road is a popular spot for drag racing.
"They race on this street all the time," said Hyde Park resident Jarrett Campbell. "It's just a long, straight way from one light to the next."
After the woman was hit, police spent hours processing a crime scene in the crosswalk, where her iPod, sunglasses and shoes were left behind.
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