HOLYOKE — After an extensive search Friday afternoon, state and local police found a suspect whose vehicle struck and dragged a Massachusetts State Police trooper on Interstate 91 near the northbound Holyoke rest area Friday afternoon.

State Police said a K-9 unit located and apprehended the suspect at around 5:30 p.m., some 2½ hours after he allegedly struck the trooper.

A short time after the hit-and-run, the suspect vehicle crashed north of the rest area, and the driver fled into the woods.

The search, which included nearly two dozen troopers and police from local departments, took place in the woods between Interstate 91 and Route 5, and stretched to the nearby railroad tracks off the state route.

The trooper, who was attempting to stop the vehicle, was able to disengage from it, and suffered non-life-threatening injuries during the incident. He was taken to an area hospital for treatment.

]]>