South Hadley resident William Gardner spurred a police pursuit spanning several jurisdictions after allegedly stealing several cases of Red Bull from a Northampton supermarket Monday.
Westfield police charged a South Hadley man with multiple offenses on Monday, following a multijurisdiction car chase that started in Easthampton and ended in Westfield.WESTFIELD – A South Hadley man accused of boosting several cases of a popular energy drink from a Northampton supermarket led police on a multijurisdiction car chase that began in Hampshire County and ended in Westfield around 3:10 p.m. Monday.
That’s when William C. Gardner, 30, of 3 Tampa St., was charged with failing to stop for police, reckless driving and resisting arrest, according to Westfield Police Lt. Michael Ugolik.
Gardner led police on a not-so-fast chase through several towns, including Easthampton and Southampton, before he was eventually stopped by Easthampton and Westfield police near Little River Plaza in Westfield.
Southampton police were not involved in the chase, according to a department spokeswoman, who said that, for the most part, Gardner maintained moderate speeds during the pursuit.
“He was pretty much going the speed limit,” she said.
Westfield police successfully punctured Gardner’s tires using spike strips laid along a section of Route 10 just over the town line from Southampton. But Gardner kept going, making his way to around Little River Plaza, 437 East Main St. (Route 20), in Westfield, where he finally was taken into custody.
All told, the pursuit lasted just under an hour.
It began shortly after Gardner allegedly swiped five cases of Red Bull, a caffeine-packed energy drink, from the Big Y supermarket on North King Street in Northampton around 2:20 p.m. Monday, according to Northampton Police Lt. Jody Kasper.
Police did not say if Gardner sampled the beverage he is accused of stealing while running from the law.
“We were never involved in any sort of pursuit with him,” she said Tuesday.
Kasper said a Big Y loss-prevention officer confronted Gardner, who bolted from the store. The officer managed to jot down a description of the vehicle and its plate number, and a BOLO alert (be on the lookout) was issued to area departments, Kasper said.
Witness accounts indicated Gardner reached speeds of around 100 mph as he fled south on Pomeroy Meadow Road and Route 10 in Southampton.
The Southampton police spokeswoman disputed those accounts, saying the issue wasn’t primarily about speed – Gardner only ever reached speeds of around 60 mph, she said – but rather about his apparent reluctance to pull over for the officers pursuing him.
“The chase was controlled,” she said, “but he just wouldn’t stop.”
Kasper said Northampton police will charge Gardner with larceny for the alleged theft of $102.95 worth of Red Bull.
It was not immediately clear if Gardner is facing charges from other jurisdictions, or at which courthouse house the South Hadley man will be arraigned Tuesday.
THE MAP BELOW shows the approximate location of where a multijurisdiction car chase ended Monday in Westfield: