Pittsfield police are searching for a hit-and-run driver who struck William S. Colbert, a 69-year-old Pittsfield resident, after finding his lifeless body nearly four miles away from the initial crash scene late Tuesday night.
According to press releases from the Pittsfield Police and the Berkshire County District Attorney's Office, police responded to an initial report of a crash around 11:33 p.m. Tuesday night near the intersection of Linden Street and Francis Avenue, which is a few blocks northwest of the city's downtown.
Upon arriving at the scene, police were reportedly unable to find the victim or the driver. After speaking to witnesses, police began to search the area. They eventually found Colbert's dead body nearly four miles away, on West Housatonic Street near the Best Western motel.
According to the District Attorney's press release, police suspect that the driver "trapped (Colbert) under the vehicle" and dragged his body "a lengthy distance" across the city.
Pittsfield has been the site of 27 roadway killings since 2015, which gives the city a higher-than-average rate of fatal crashes compared to Massachusetts as a whole.
More than half of those victims were walking or riding a bike in the city at the time they were killed.
The intersection of Linden Street and Francis Avenue, where Tuesday's crash was reported, is in the middle of a relatively densely-populated residential neighborhood of duplex apartment buildings and single-family homes. Both streets are typical two-lane city streets with sidewalks. The intersection itself has a corner store, a traffic light, and marked crosswalks.
Pittsfield police are asking anyone with information about the crash to contact Sgt. David Hallas at dhallas@cityofpittsfield.org or Officer Anthony Dayton at adayton@cityofpittsfield.org.
