BOSTON — At least one person has died and more than a dozen were injured after a driver crashed his car through the glass storefront of a Hingham Apple store during the start of the busy holiday shopping week.
“This morning was an unthinkable morning and people are trying to get through it and process what happened,” Plymouth County District Attorney Tim Cruz said at the scene Monday.
Police and rescue crews responded to Derby Street sometime after 10:45 a.m. to a report that a car had crashed through the exterior wall of the Apple store. Emergency responders arrived to find at least 16 people had sustained injuries and one person had died, according to Hingham Fire Chief Steve Murphy.
Cruz said an active criminal investigation has begun and that the driver was in custody.
“Right now family members are being notified or in the process of being notified and have been gathering nearby to get information,” Cruz said. “Needless to say, employees who were working in that store or nearby are visibly shaken.”
Witnesses on the scene told reporters the car seemed to accelerate into the store.
The driver was injured, but not seriously, Cruz said, and was able to communicate with first responders. The man was in police custody as of Monday morning.
“We are very limited in what we can say at this point,” Cruz said.
According to a preliminary investigation, the dark-colored SUV drove through the Apple store’s glass exterior “at a rate of speed undetermined” before striking multiple people, Cruz said.
Some of those injured were pinned to the inside wall of the store, he added. Responders included a technical rescue team.
Officials did not release the name of the driver or provide any details about how or why the crash happened.
“Regarding the operator of the motor vehicle, we’re looking into that. Regarding the status of the motor vehicle, we’re looking into that. And, obviously we’re going to give the information that we can,” Cruz said.
Emergency responders from Abington, Weymouth, Hull and Scituate also were at the scene. Victims were transported to both South Shore Hospital, in Weymouth, and Boston-area hospitals, fire officials said.
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