Rockland man strikes police chief’s cruiser, faces drunken driving charge
The police chief and his passenger weren't hurt in the crash.
Richard Cirignano.
A Rockland man is facing a drunken driving charge, among others, after police say he crashed his pickup truck into the back of the town police chief’s cruiser Saturday night and then drove away.
Richard Cirignano, 65, was charged with drunken driving, second offense; operating a motor vehicle to endanger; leaving the scene of a crash; failure to stop at a red light; failure to stop for a police officer; not wearing a seatbelt; and speeding, Rockland police said.
Rockland Police Chief John Llewellyn was driving an unmarked Ford Explorer cruiser around 9:30 p.m. on Spring Street after he attended the town’s Holiday Stroll event, according to police.
The chief was driving through the intersection of Spring and Summer streets when Cirignano allegedly ran a red light and crashed into the back passenger side of his cruiser.
Llewellyn tried to avoid the crash, but the cruiser went off the road and onto a church’s lawn.
Cirignano left the scene, police said. The chief and his passenger weren’t injured, and Llewellyn followed Cirignano and pulled him over about a half mile away from where the incident occurred, according to police.
Other officers also responded and took control of the incident from there, police said.
Cirignano was scheduled for arraignment at Hingham District Court on Monday.
