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Image by Westwood Minute/Darlene Wong Cancell.
3-08-2026 10:26pm
Police Log: Car Strikes Pedestrian Who is Jogging at Night, Shoplifting Diapers, and Other Incidents
Darlene Cancell
Editor
The news described in this installment of Westwood Minute's weekly Police Log article series is primarily based on selected incidents from the Westwood Police Department's daily log, and information provided by Lieutenant Michael DiLalla and police staff to Westwood Minute through written records and conversations. Occasionally, Westwood Minute may weave facts that it obtains from other sources into these stories.
Monday, March 2nd
Abandoned Vehicle in Snow
12:38 p.m. An officer observed an abandoned Hyundai Elantra in a snowbank on Clapboardtree Street. Police tracked down the vehicle’s owner at his home on Colburn Street and learned the resident planned to return to the vehicle to shovel it out.
Sunday, March 1st
Shoplifter Steals Action Figures
12:51 p.m. Police received a report of shoplifting from the Target store on University Avenue. Staff reported that a male, aged 25 to 35 years old, wearing a grey sweatshirt and baseball hat, placed 8 boxes of Transformers action figures in a bag while at checkout, then left the store with the unpaid merchandise. The items were worth a total of about $300. Staff were able to recover half of the action figures, and the suspect fled with the rest. Staff were able to provide police with information about the suspect’s vehicle, allowing police to identify the vehicle’s owner. Police have determined that the suspect is a different person than the owner of the car. Police continue to investigate.
Saturday, February 28th
Driving Student Issued Citation
4:59 p.m. An officer on patrol on Canton Street conducted a random registration query on a passing grey Nissan and discovered that the registered owner had a suspended license. The officer made the traffic stop, and the driver was identified as the car’s owner. She reportedly told police that she was in driving school, and believed her license would not be suspended until March 16. The officer issued a citation for driving with a suspended license to the driver, a resident of East Weymouth.
Car Strikes Nighttime Jogger
6:03 p.m. Police responded to the intersection of Gay and Thatcher streets where a motor vehicle had struck a pedestrian. Police found the pedestrian, a Westwood resident, on the ground. The resident was conscious and complaining of pain to the head, neck, and right ankle. Police determined that a 2016 Cadillac sedan, driven by a resident of Norwood, had pulled out of Thatcher Street to turn onto Gay street. The driver did not see that there was a person runner through the intersection, and struck runner. The police report notes that the pedestrian wore no reflective gear in the dark and was running with the flow of traffic, instead of against traffic and therefore on the “wrong side of the road.” The pedestrian was transported to the hospital. No citations were issued.
Friday, February 27th
Shoplifting for Diapers
8:53 a.m. Police received a report from the CVS store on Washington Street regarding a shoplifting in progress. The suspect was observed taking diapers and other items, and leaving in a grey Lexis with a Massachusetts plate. The store manager reported to police that the woman stated, “Stop watching me,” as she took the items. Police spoke to the registered owner of the vehicle, who informed police that her daughter had been driving the car. Police contacted the daughter, who reportedly screamed, “I needed diapers for my daughter. What am I going to do? Let her s - - t everywhere? What are they going to lock me up for? Twenty dollars?” Police noted that the suspect, who is in her 30s and resides Quincy, has a record of shoplifting charge from an incident in Peabody, Massachusetts. Westwood Police have charged her with shoplifting by asportation, second offense.
BB Gun Destroyed
9:26 a.m. A resident of Magnolia Drive turned over a BB gun to police possession. The resident did not want it in the home. Police entered the BB gun into evidence for destruction.
FedEx Driver Complains of Sideswipe
11:07 a.m. A FedEx delivery truck driver reported being sideswiped by a black Toyota Tundra while making a delivery in the area of Washington Street and Waldo Way. Police contacted the driver of the Tundra who explained that he had passed the parked FedEx delivery truck which was parked in the intersection. His own vehicle was not damaged and he reported he was uncertain of damage caused to the FedEx truck.
Reporting Erratic Behavior
1:51 p.m. A Westwood resident reported erratic behavior from a family member’s ex-wife. The complainant had received a call from the ex-wife, who reportedly made odd statements and who had been acting erratic of late. No threats were made. However, the complainant wanted to make a record of the interaction.
Suspicious Person at Door
1:53 p.m. A resident of Warwick Drive reported suspicious behavior when a person came to the door, represented themselves as being from the Eversource utility company, but refused to show identification upon request. The individual reportedly was driving in a grey sedan, which was unmarked, and did not bear the Eversource name or logo. The suspicious person and vehicle had departed the area when police responded.
Cocaine Discovered and Destroyed
5:32 p.m. A resident of Westwood produced a white, powdery substance which she said her daughter found in the laundry machine in her father’s home in Wellesley. Police determined that the substance had an appearance consistent with that of cocaine. The woman reported that her daughter had found powdery substance on a plate in the father’s home in the past, also believed to be cocaine, but the father denied that it was drugs. Police informed the complainant that it would be ill advised to drive around with the substance. Police weighed and photographed the substance, and entered it into evidence for destruction.
Two-Vehicle Collision on Pond Street
6:29 p.m. Police responded to a two-vehicle accident on Pond Street near Circuit Road where a 2020 Jeep Cherokee driven by a resident of Walpole, turned left onto Pond Street from Clapboardtree Street and struck a Toyota Camry that was travelling on Pond Street toward the center of town. The collision caused fluids to leak from the Jeep and it had to be towed. The Camry, driven by a resident of Dorchester, was damaged but not towed. No medical assistance was needed. Police determined that snow on the scene impeded the ability to assign fault.
Thursday, February 26th
SUV Hits a Snowbank
3:04 p.m. Police responded to a single car accident in the area of Gay Street and Buckboard Lane where a 2011 Honda Pilot was sound in a snowbank. The driver told police she hit an icy patch on Gay Street, and the vehicle slid into the snowbank, ending in a position that was perpendicular to travel on Gay Street. No injuries were reported. A tow truck arrived to pull the vehicle from the snow bank.
Tuesday, February 24th
Complaint of Harassment
2:25 p.m. A resident of Washington Street reported that her landlord has been complaining about noise from her apartment, while she is in the process of moving to another apartment in Westwood. She believes the landlord is trying to sabotage her move by creating complaints.
Thanks to Lieutenant Michael DiLalla and Westwood Police Department for sharing information for this Westwood Minute article.
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