Investigation finds Mashpee Police could have avoided crash that killed 3

MASHPEE, Mass. - An investigation conducted by the Barnstable Police Department Crash Reconstruction team found that a late July crash that killed three people could have been avoided if police had called off their chase.

On July 28, just past midnight, a Mashpee Police officer attempted to stop a car being driven by Mickey Rivera, of Fall River, Massachusetts.

Rivera, however, refused to stop for police, triggering a series of events that lead to a motor vehicle pursuit on Route 28 towards Barnstable. The pursuit ended in a car crash just over the Barnstable town line.

Both Rivera, 22, and the other driver, 32-year-old Kevin Quinn of Mashpee were pronounced dead at the scene of the crash. Quinn was on his way home from Cape Cod Hospital where he had gone to visit his wife and newborn baby.

The passenger in Rivera's car, Jocelyn Goyette, 24, of New Bedford, was ejected from the vehicle at the time of the crash and transported to an area hospital and later to a Boston hospital. She died from her injuries just days later.

Investigators found that Rivera caused the crash, saying:

"Rivera reached speeds of 90 to 100 mph in an area that is posted 50 mph. Rivera had a complete disregard for the police, posted traffic signs and road markings and other vehicles on the roadway. Rivera's high speed eventually caused him to lose control of the Toyota and veer into the oncoming traffic lane, crashing into the second vehicle."

During the investigation, authorities learned that Rivera was on probation with a GPS monitor and his license had been suspended in Massachusetts. The officer who initially attempted to stop Rivera did not know any of this information.

Investigators concluded that, should Rivera have stopped when instructed to do so, the crash could have been avoided.

An internal investigation into the Mashpee Police's role in the pursuit found officers should have ended the pursuit, stating that the speed Rivera was traveling at was "not in the area of the pursuing cruiser and was not in view at the time of the crash."

The Mashpee Police Department General Order number 001, titled "Pursuits", section 1, states:

"It is the policy of the Mashpee Police Department that a vehicular pursuit is authorized when the need to apprehend a suspect fleeing in a motor vehicle outweighs the risk created by the pursuit."

An independent review by Daigle Law Group also concluded that the pursuit should have ended.

"We want to hold ourselves accountable to the community and I have released all the pertinent information regarding this investigation," said Scott W. Carline, the Mashpee Chief of Police. "Our continued priority is to serve the citizens of Mashpee with pride and integrity, pledging an open, accountable police department responsive to the needs and concerns of the community while maintaining public trust and community engagement. I do not feel the community expects us to be perfect, but I do feel they expect us to be honest."

Going forward, Carline highlighted he and his department will do whatever it takes to ensure this type of policy violation does not happen again.

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Cox Media Group