PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The head of the Rhode Island State Police says a cruiser was stolen by a suspect who was being transported to court by a state trooper.
Col. Ann Assumpico says the trooper left the handcuffed suspect alone in the vehicle when he went to check on an accident on Route 146 Thursday morning. She says when troopers come upon an accident on a highway, they have a duty to check on it.
The cruiser was found within an hour ditched in Providence without the suspect.
Providence Public Safety Commissioner Steven Pare says a shootout later on a busy stretch of Interstate 95 through downtown Providence was related to the theft, although they have said they haven't yet determined to what extent.
One person was killed in that shootout, and a woman was injured.
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12:45 p.m.
One person is dead and one person is injured after a chase and shootout with several police officers on busy Interstate 95 in Providence.
No police officers were injured. Providence Public Safety Commissioner Steven Pare says they have not positively identified the person killed.
He says both the person killed and woman injured were in a pickup truck that police were trying to stop.
Police say the shootout was related to the theft of a state police cruiser earlier in the day, but say they haven't yet determined to what extent.
Witnesses told local news outlets they saw a shootout between occupants of white pickup truck and other vehicles. A white sat riddled with bullets on the road Thursday afternoon.
The injured woman was transported to a hospital with serious injuries.
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11:40 a.m.
Authorities are swarming over Interstate 95 in Providence, following a midmorning shooting on the busy stretch of road.
Ramps to I-95 are closed out of downtown Providence around the area of the Providence Place mall Thursday. Several ambulances could be seen on an on-ramp to I-95 north next to the mall.
Providence Police Chief High Clements tells WLNE-TV that there was a shooting. Police did not immediately release more details.
They also did not immediately say whether the shooting was related to the theft of a state police cruiser earlier in the day. The cruiser was found abandoned in Providence, but police were still searching for a suspect.
Emergency management officials are asking people to avoid the area.
Traffic was backed up on the highway and downtown.
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The major interstate artery through Providence was closed Thursday morning after a police pursuit of a stolen Rhode Island State Police Cruiser, according to FOX25.
One person was killed near a pickup truck on the interstate. The medical examiner was called to the scene and a deceased person was covered in a white sheet on the road.
The state police cruiser was stolen about 9 a.m. Thursday morning, police said, and was later found abandoned on Vineyard Street.
Reports indicate police began chasing a white pickup truck before the violent confrontation on the ramp from Memorial Boulevard to I-95 northbound.
Witnesses told local news outlets they heard gunshots nearby.