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Note: This is an update of an earlier story from Sunday, May 31, 2009 4:00 pm: Law and order councilmember Tony Chiavacci Westminster Maryland - Newly elected councilmember tackles alleged hit and run driver and detains him until police arrive, by Kevin Dayhoff. A shorter – edited version of this story appears in the Westminster Eagle, “Dayhoff: New councilmember tackles alleged hit and run drive” Published June 1, 2009 by Westminster Eagle]
Westminster Maryland - If you aspire to be an alleged hit-and-run driver in Westminster, you may not want to do it in front of newly elected Westminster Councilmember Tony Chiavacci’s house on Willis Street, just a couple houses down from Westminster City Hall and the Westminster police station.
Reports of the councilmen’s heroic law-and-order behavior travelled quickly through town last Sunday morning.
Usually the most activity on Willis Street on any given Sunday are the squirrels frenetically frittering about doing, well, whatever it is the bushy tailed critters frantically do, birds singing and a few bunny rabbits nibbling on some grass.
However, last Sunday the bucolic story-book calm of the historic tree-lined street noted for its large stately homes and well manicured lawns was shattered abruptly by the sounds of a roaring engine, squealing wheels and a car crash.
When it was all over, even the squirrels, birds, and bunnies stopped in their tracks and the only frantic critter on the street was a reckless hit-and-run driver flailing about with the grass flying and a councilmember sitting his back.
Witnesses revealed that a hapless eastbound driver on Willis Street, had apparently rounded the corner and traveled at a high rate of speed from the direction of Westminster City Hall towards Center Street when he hit several parked automobiles.
Soon after the parked cars were hit, the offending auto stopped in the street like a wounded beast and the driver attempted to flee. That’s when councilman Chiavacci sprang into action by eventually running-down and tackling the individual.
As a crowd of older citizens, assorted family dogs, birds, bunnies, squirrels, and children gathered around, the alleged offender was reported to have been heard screaming, “Get off of me.” A request that Chiavacci, the son of a career retired Maryland State Police officer did not seem to be in the mood to oblige.
Later that evening in a telephone interview, Councilman Chiavacci, a former Army military police officer who is known for his good-natured smile and easygoing personality - but who is also about the size of a small Sherman Tank – calmly recalled the morning’s events.
“Today is my birthday and my kids made me a birthday breakfast,” said the father of five children proudly in a soft, measured voice. “I was sitting in the living room reading the Sunday paper, when all the sudden I heard a car engine roaring, tires squealing – and then a loud crash.”
Now, no longer worried that an idiot was on the loose on Willis Street, Chiavacci’s annoyance turned into concern. “I was worried that someone may have gotten hurt, so I hustled out of the house and down the driveway to see a damaged mini-van sitting in the middle of the street.”
“Then this guy gets out and starts beating the feet on down the street towards Center Street…” Chiavacci’s police training immediately kicked in as he noticed the vehicle did not have tags on it, “and I wondered why this guy was taking off?”
Chiavacci went on to say that “I asked the guy to stop and get back to his car.”
At which time the driver of the wounded mini-van said, “I’ve gotta get to work man.”
Quickly getting a grip on the situation and transitioning from big-breakfast-eating, newspaper-reading slumbering-Sunday Dad to concerned citizen; Chiavacci said he realized that “something wasn’t adding-up, so I asked him again to ‘stop right there,’ more colorfully,” shared Chiavacci in a matter-of-fact tone of voice, as if he were talking about the weather.
Meanwhile the offender is picking up the pace, not running, but moving even more quickly. “I caught up to him and asked him again to stop.” At that the gentleman pushed back against Chiavacci.
Other accounts suggest that the offender struck Chiavacci, however according to Chiavacci, “ah, he just pushed me and said something like ‘leave me alone.’”
Three strikes and a shove and you’re out. Besides, the bad guy interrupted Chiavacci’s Sunday morning with his kids.
Chiavacci reports that he “was nice enough to ask him to stop one more time,” as the offender continued to try and take off. “So, I just leveled him in the yard,” at the northeast corner of North and Willow Streets.
“My MP training just took over. I was worried for all the kids that were out … and my elderly neighbors… and fortunately I knew how to stop him without hurting him.”
“He kept fighting me, but I had the better of him and I just waited for the police to come…”
Fortunately for the alleged hit-and-run driver, Westminster city police arrived quickly and took control of the situation.
Afterwards, the children in the neighborhood resumed playing; the squirrels went back to – whatever it is that they do and Chiavacci, well, “after the police took the guy away, I went back to being a birthday Dad and reading the paper.”
All in a day’s work.
