Winslow police say they had to restrain an 80-year-old Oakland man Saturday night after he hit someone in a wheelchair with his vehicle and then attempted to drive away. The person in the wheelchair was not injured, but the motorist’s ensuing scuffle with police left him hospitalized.

At roughly 9:45 p.m. following the Winslow Fourth of July fireworks display, police said a vehicle being driven by Daryl E. Pratt “struck an individual in a wheelchair” on the Sebasticook Bridge as thousands of spectators were leaving the event.

Officers were present during the incident and attempted to conduct an investigation of the crash. However, when they spoke to Pratt he became “verbally confrontational,” police said in a news release.

At one point, Pratt jumped into his vehicle, placed it in drive and tried to quickly leave, while several pedestrians were in front of it, police said.

Two police sergeants quickly tried to restrain Pratt, fearing he would drive over several pedestrians, they said.

Pratt “physically resisted Sgt. Lund and Sgt. Fleming and assaulted them several times,” police said.

Pratt eventually was forced out of the vehicle and placed under arrest. He was taken to the Winslow Police Department and then transported to Inland Hospital for medical treatment because of injuries sustained during the arrest, police said. The two police sergeants were not injured.

 

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