Woman killed in Taunton crash after suspect flees from Massachusetts State Police

A woman has died after a suspect ran from police and crashed into her vehicle Monday afternoon.

According to Dave Procopio of Massachusetts State Police, shortly after 2:00 p.m., members of a State Police narcotics task force attempted to stop a motor vehicle in Middleborough being operated by a target of an ongoing investigation. The male suspect, who was driving a 2017 Toyota Highlander sport utility vehicle, fled the attempted stop and drove away at a high rate of speed.

Task force members, who were in unmarked cruisers, did not pursue the suspect, whose identity was known to them. No other MSP cruisers pursued the suspect either.

Several minutes later the suspect’s vehicle crashed into another vehicle on Kingman Road in Taunton. Members of the task force responded to the crash scene with MSP patrols and local police.

The vehicle struck by the suspect’s SUV was occupied by an adult female, who suffered fatal injuries.

Following the crash, the suspect fled from his motor vehicle on foot but was located and detained by bystanders and an MSP Trooper. The suspect, 34-year-old Hector Banister-Sanchez, of Medford, was taken into custody. He was transported to Morton Hospital for potential injuries and remains under police guard. He will face criminal charges, which are still be determined by the ongoing investigation.

The incident remains under investigation by the State Police Detective Unit for Bristol County with assistance from the State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section, State Police Crime Scene Services Section, and Taunton Police.