A road-rage dispute that started on a Worcester street ended Wednesday morning in the parking lot of Paxton's Public Safety Complex, where officers arrested three people after a driver called 911 claiming their vehicle had been shot at. No one was hurt in the incident, which unfolded just after 9 a.m. and drew a cluster of police agencies to the small town's public safety complex.
According to Boston 25 News, authorities received a 911 call at around 9:10 a.m. reporting a road-rage incident and that the caller's vehicle had been shot at. The caller said they had been traveling on Pleasant Street, also known as Route 122, entering Paxton before pulling into the parking lot of the Paxton Public Safety Complex. The suspect's vehicle allegedly followed them into that lot and attempted to turn around, the outlet reported.
Officers stopped the suspect's vehicle on the spot and detained three occupants, the station's report states. Worcester Police then took over, taking statements from those involved and processing the vehicles for evidence before arresting all three occupants of the suspect vehicle. Paxton police said the Worcester Police Department is handling all criminal charges and follow-up investigation connected to the case, per the same account.
What Police Say Happened on Pleasant Street
Investigators determined that the caller's vehicle had been shot at with what appeared to be a pellet gun on Pleasant Street in Worcester before the driver crossed into Paxton, according to the Boston 25 News report. That determination came after police investigated the scene; the outlet did not specify what evidence led to that conclusion beyond the police account itself. There were no injuries during the incident, the report notes.
The scene outside the Paxton Public Safety Complex drew more than just local officers. WCVB reported that Holden, Leicester and Rutland police departments, along with Massachusetts State Police, also responded to the scene. Separately, WHDH 7News reported that Paxton police were investigating the incident Wednesday morning.
A Similar Case From Two Years Ago
This is not the first time a Massachusetts road-rage case has centered on an apparent pellet gun. In September 2024, Massachusetts State Police arrested a Worcester man following an apparent road-rage incident on Route 146 in Millbury, according to Boston.com. In that case, police found a pellet gun near the driver's car after the other driver's passenger window was shattered, the outlet reported. MassLive identified the driver as Daniel Orlando Ochoa, 39, of Worcester, reporting that the other driver was not hurt and that Ochoa was arraigned on a charge of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, according to MassLive.
Massachusetts law does address firing projectiles from air rifles or BB guns in public. Under General Laws Chapter 269, Section 12B, no person is permitted to discharge a BB shot, pellet, or other object from an air rifle or BB gun into, from, or across a street, alley, public way, or railroad right of way, according to the Massachusetts General Court. It remains unclear whether that statute factors into the Paxton case, and no charges against the three people arrested Wednesday have been detailed publicly.
For now, the follow-up investigation and any resulting charges rest with Worcester Police, per Paxton authorities' own statement to Boston 25 News. The identities of the three people taken into custody, along with the specifics of what charges they may face, have not been released.
