Charles Chapin, 58, of 35 Anthony St. is accused of driving through a gate at the E. John Gare Parking Garage in Northampton without paying.
NORTHAMPTON — A Springfield man who claims he succumbed to pressure from honking motorists crashed through a city parking garage gate without paying Saturday night, according to police and news reports.
A Northampton Police Department spokesman couldn't be reached for comment Monday morning, but a city police officer confirmed the weekend incident at the E. John Gare Parking Garage. That's where 58-year-old Douglas Chapin, of 35 Anthony St., East Springfield, allegedly crashed through a wooden exit gate without paying just after 9 p.m. Saturday.
Chapin told police he was unaware he had to pay for using the parking garage. He said he crashed through the exit gate, breaking it in two, because vehicles behind him were honking their horns, the Daily Hampshire Gazette reports.
Chapin fled the area in a Nissan Ultima. A driver exiting the parking garage behind him provided police with a vehicle description and plate number, and Chapin was apprehended by police in Holyoke about a half-hour later.
Chapin is expected to be arraigned today in Northampton District Court on a charge of malicious destruction of property valued less than $250.