State Police Confirm Death of 49-Year-Old Man Who Barricaded Himself in Car Along I-495

A man, who police believe was connected to a series of bank robberies and who barricaded himself last night in car in the median of Interstate 495, died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Massachusetts State Police this morning confirmed the death of 49-year-old Anthony Miele  of Quincy. Miele shot himself, causing what police said was “massive injury around,” at 9:10 p.m., while State Police negotiators tried to convince him to surrender. He was pronounced dead at 11:28 p.m. at Lawrence General Hospital.

State Police Spokesman David Procopio said the standoff was set in motion just before 7 p.m. when a Massachusetts State Police sergeant saw a 2018 BMW 430XI, occupied by Miele, parked outside the Digital Federal Credit Union on Broadway, Methuen. The car was the subject of a “Be On the Look Out” alert related to multiple bank robberies in southeastern Massachusetts.

The sergeant, in an unmarked cruiser, followed him as he began to drive away. A second trooper and, later, others from Troop A joined in, but Miele refused to stop. He drove through several side streets and onto Route 28 south, through Lawrence and, eventually, to I-495 southbound. Procopio said Miele stopped his car around 7:10 p.m. on the grass medium and held a handgun to his own head when troopers approached.

Troopers established a perimeter and additional State Police units joined, including the Special Tactical Operations Team, Crisis Negotiation Unit, Bomb Squad, Air Wing and Troop A commanders.

Traffic was closed in both directions as negotiators tried to talk to Miele for nearly two hours. At one point, police said, he threw a ballistic vest and two firearm magazines out of the car, but kept the handgun.

State Police detectives, Crime Scene Services personnel and Ballistics Unit personnel investigated and determined Miele “committed suicide by gunshot.” Procopio said no police officers discharged weapons.

Comments are closed.