Police Sergeant Fired Following Fatal High Speed Chase In Western Massachusetts

A Dalton, Massachusetts police sergeant has been terminated after three high speed chases in a two month time period, one of them subsequently fatal.

Sergeant Bustin Buzzella was confirmed to be terminated Oct. 10 by Dalton Police Chief Deanna Strout.

In a series of disciplinary action reports — one for each pursuit — obtained by The Eagle, Strout alleged that Buzzella violated multiple department policies during and following the high-speed chases, including being untruthful in his reports about the incidents and falsifying documents. -berkshireeagle.com

Three High Speed Pursuits

The three high speed chases that involved Sgt. Buzzella occurred on March 21, May 14 and May 20.

Fatal High Speed Chase

On May 20, Buzzella attempted to stop 33 year-old Ryan Griffin of Pittsfield on suspicion of DWI.

The evening of May 20, Griffin died in a single-car crash after Buzzella pursued him from Main Street in Dalton onto Robinson Road in Hinsdale.

Dashcam footage obtained by The Eagle shows that Griffin crashed into a tree while traveling at a high speed evading Buzzella, causing the car to catch fire. In the footage, Buzzella can be seen exiting his car to extinguish the fire. 

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