HADLEY — A Florence teenager who allegedly drove away from a police stop at high speed before crashing was arrested after a chase in Hadley on Sunday.
According to a post on the Hadley Police Department’s Facebook page, 19-year-old Symon Dastoli was charged with offenses that included attaching wrong registration plates, driving an unregistered vehicle, driving with license suspended, failure to stop for police, operating to endanger, speeding, marked lanes violation, failure to stop (sign), disorderly conduct and two counts of defacing or damaging property. The property-damage charges are felonies.
The Hadley Police Department has also petitioned the Registry of Motor Vehicles to deem Dastoli an immediate threat and revoke his license.
Police allege that the chase began around 4:13 p.m. Sunday, when Hadley Police attempted to pull Dastoli over on South Maple Street for not properly displaying registration plates.
Dastoli then cut across two curbs and attempted to flee, police said. The officers radioed other officers in the area, one of whom allegedly saw Dastoli speeding south down South Maple Street and forcing other motorists off the road.
Police said that motorists who stopped for the fleeing vehicle continuously pointed police in the direction it had gone.
The chase culminated at the intersection of South Maple Street and East Hadley Road, when Dastoli lost control of the vehicle, which skidded across a lawn, struck a rock and came to rest in a corn field, police said.
Dastoli was held Sunday night on $2,500 cash bail and was arraigned in Eastern Hampshire District Court on Monday morning. He is currently being held at the Hampshire County Jail and House of Correction, as his bail there was revoked by the court until Nov. 16.
Bera Dunau can be reached at bdunau@gazettenet.com.