RANDOLPH, Mass. — Twenty-nine-year old Christopher Divens is recovering from serious injuries after being struck by a Randolph police cruiser while crossing North Main Street August 25.
Randolph police say the officer was responding to a domestic incident at the time of the crash.
“I was thinking, I gotta call my wife. I don’t want her scared. I was thinking it’s weird that I can’t feel my right leg?” said Divens.
Divens said he was walking home after being involved in a car accident less than an hour before he was struck.
Boston 25 obtained the chilling audio from Divens’ family. He says he recorded this call to document his encounter with responding officers.
The investigation was turned over to Quincy police who tell Boston 25 they are not releasing details from the crash until it’s complete.
A spokesperson for the Randolph Police Department does tell me the officer involved is on paid administrative leave.
The Divens family tells Boston 25 they want that officer fired.
“I just want answers. I need concrete answers.” said Janelle Ambroise, Chris’ mother. “I need an investigation. I need the state to come in here.”
The Divens family tells me they believe, based on Chris’ previous experience with police officers in the area that the crash could be racially motivated.
Randolph police vehemently deny the claim, saying in a statement, the officer had no idea who he struck until after the crash and “we have absolutely no information at this time to indicate that this was anything other than a deeply unfortunate accident.”
The full statement from Chief William Pace is posted below:
“As we have previously reported, at approximately 9:20 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 25, the Randolph Police and Fire Departments responded to the area of North Main Street and Grove Street for a report of a pedestrian crash involving a police cruiser and a 29-year-old Randolph man.
“The first thing I want to express is my sincere empathy to the victim and his family. I have reached out and have spoken with the victim’s family. As the investigation into this matter is still open and being conducted by an outside agency, I am extremely limited in what I can say at this time.”
“The victim was struck by the cruiser of an officer who was en route to a domestic violence call, with his lights and siren activated. The officer immediately stopped and rendered aid to the pedestrian before the Randolph Fire Department arrived to transport him to a Boston hospital. As is standard procedure during a crash involving a police cruiser, we referred the investigation to an outside agency, the Quincy Police Department. I have placed the officer on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. Quincy is performing a reconstruction of the incident and an investigation which will include reviewing Randolph Police Department policies and procedures and determining the speed of the cruiser at the time of the crash.
“At this time, I cannot comment about specific details of the crash investigation, however, I would like to address some questions and confusion expressed by members of the community to the media and on social media.
“I am aware that the victim had been involved in a motor vehicle crash earlier that evening. An audio recording has been posted online of an interaction between the victim and a police officer during the aftermath of the original crash. This recording is of a different police officer, and there was a disagreement about towing the vehicle from the scene. However, the vehicle could not be safely driven due to the crash, was unregistered and uninsured and the driver was unlicensed, so the vehicle had to be towed by law.
“The officer whose cruiser struck the victim was responding to a domestic incident from the police station. Our preliminary reports indicate that the officer did not know who the person he struck was until he was briefed by other officers later.
“We have absolutely no information at this time to indicate that this was anything other than a deeply unfortunate accident.
“The Randolph Police Department is committed to a thorough finding of fact in this matter. In addition to referring the crash investigation to the Quincy Police Department, our department will retain an independent outside professional to conduct a thorough administrative review of the original crash, the pedestrian crash and all communications and dispatch procedures before, during and after both incidents. We are committed to preventing all manner of crashes and accidents involving pedestrians.
“We will make the results of the investigation public, to the extent that the law allows.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW