A chaotic scene unfolded on a Massachusetts roadway Monday afternoon as a known career criminal randomly fired at passing vehicles before being shot by police, authorities have confirmed.
Video footage captured by witnesses shows the suspect, armed with a rifle, erratically discharging his weapon and striking a car with it as he moved along Memorial Drive in Cambridge. The incident occurred around 1:30 p.m., according to CBS Boston.
Massachusetts State Police responded swiftly, with a trooper confronting the suspect, identified by Boston 25 News as Tyler Brown. The trooper shot Brown multiple times, bringing the dangerous situation to a halt.
Emergency medical services arrived promptly at the scene, providing treatment for at least one individual who sustained gunshot wounds. However, it remains unclear if the injured party was the gunman himself, as police have yet to confirm those details.
Brown, who has an extensive criminal record, was supposed to meet with his parole officer that day due to concerns about his mental health, sources informed the outlet. Authorities have not officially released the shooter’s identity as the investigation continues.
In an effort to locate Brown earlier, Boston police visited his Dorchester residence but found he was not there, further complicating the situation.
A driver told WBZ-TV that he stopped his car and crouched inside it when bullets suddenly struck his radiator and his coworker’s headlight in front of him.
“Got out, walked up to the car in front of me to my coworker to see what was going on. Saw the dude in the street lifting [the gun] up at me,” the witness recalled.
“I dipped back into my car and ducked behind my dashboard. My buddy got out, he ran for it. State trooper pulled up directly on the side of me, got out, got behind his car right in front of my driver’s side mirror, got in the gunfight with him.”
A woman in a small school van was also on her way to pick up special needs children when the shooting began — sending her and another woman darting out of the vehicle and fleeing into nearby bushes.
“I ran through the bushes and fell in here, and ran all the way down the street. And then they took me in this building over here because I was all shook and everything. Because I was running for my life,” one of the women told the outlet.
Court records obtained by Boston 25 News showed that Brown had a criminal record spanning two decades, including an alarming incident in 2020 where he fired 13 rounds at Boston police officers in the South End.
The District Attorney at the time recommended Brown serve a 10 to 12-year prison sentence, but a judge ultimately sentenced him to only five to six years behind bars. Since that sentence was served alongside a probation violation, he was released after a few years, the outlet reported.
Prosecutors at the time publicly blasted the sentence as “disappointing” and an insult to the officers who were nearly killed in the shootout.
Several police cruisers remained on the scene into Monday evening — blocking off traffic on a large stretch of Memorial Drive.
“There is no ongoing danger to the public. Residents are asked to please avoid the area. Additional information will be publicized when it is available,” the Cambridge Police Department wrote in a social media post.
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey said in a statement that she is closely monitoring the situation and asked residents and commuters to avoid the area so public safety personnel can continue to work.
“Grateful to first responders who worked quickly to keep people safe and secure the scene,” she wrote on X.
The Massachusetts State Police did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
