A police pursuit spanning more than 20 miles across state borders left one man dead, a teenager wounded, and multiple others injured in Providence, Rhode Island earlier today. According to WWLP, Michael Pinto, 40, who was wanted on active felony arrest warrants, found himself at the center of a harrowing car chase that ultimately ended in a hail of bullets.
The chase commenced in Burrillville, Rhode Island before briefly crossing into Massachusetts and culminating back in Providence. The pursuit involved multiple law enforcement agencies from both states, as reported earlier in Hoodline Boston.
According to the Associated Press, Pinto was initially spotted in Burrillville and subsequently pursued by law enforcement. At that time, Pinto was out on probation in connection with an animal cruelty charge. The pursuit surged through Massachusetts before shifting to the busy Route 146 in Rhode Island, where law enforcement attempted to encircle and immobilize Pinto's vehicle.
As per the Boston Globe, events took an unfortunate turn when Pinto reportedly drove his vehicle towards one of the pursuing officers, struck a police cruiser, and made another daring escape. The chase led to Providence, where Pinto's vehicle, now caught in traffic, struck an unmarked police car and veered onto the sidewalk, hitting a pedestrian at a nearby hospital.
Pinto reverses his car onto the sidewalk, prompting the police officers to open fire. Pinto was fatally shot in the course of the shootout, taking his last breath at a nearby hospital.
Tragically, Pinto's teenage daughter, who was also in the vehicle at the time, suffered a gunshot wound to the leg. The pedestrian, along with two Providence police officers injured during the pursuit, was also taken to the hospital for treatment.
