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MSP arrest driver, passenger wanted for dragging trooper while fleeing traffic stop

WEBSTER, Mass. — Two people wanted for dragging a Massachusetts State Police trooper while fleeing a traffic stop have been located and are in custody, police say.

The driver and his passenger were located in Fitchburg Friday evening six hours after the incident occurred.

The traffic stop happened around 12:25 p.m. Friday in the area of 26 Chase Avenue.

While the trooper was standing next to the SUV, the driver sped off and dragged the trooper a short distance.

"I was just pulling out and there were three or four cruisers and an ambulance right there," Webster resident Wahbat Abbas said. "Officers told me to go right instead of left, and then I saw 40 of the EMT people taking the uniform off the officer."

The driver is believed to be a 27-year-old man from Fitchburg. His passenger, who owns the SUV, is believed to be a 40-year-old woman from Dudley. Both have outstanding criminal warrants.

The SUV they were in is a green 2008 Honda Pilot with Massachusetts license plate 9CKG50. They headed down Chase Avenue toward Dudley.

The trooper, who is assigned to the Sturbridge Barracks, was taken by ambulance to UMass University Hospital-Lakeside with injuries believed to be non-life threatening.

The trooper has since been released from the hospital.

"Prayers out to him," Abbas said. "I hope he’s well."