Northeast
Massachusetts road rage attack ends with driver making U-turn to mow down woman: prosecutors
A Massachusetts road-rage altercation left one woman dead and one man behind bars last week, authorities said.
Ryan Sweatt got into “an apparent road rage incident” with another car on Route 85 in Hopkinton on Thursday night and struck a woman who got out of the other car, the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office wrote in a Friday news release.
The 26-year-old woman, Destini Decoff, died on Sunday from those injuries, her mother Tracy Decoff wrote on Facebook.
At some point during Thursday’s confrontation, officials said, some of the occupants of her car got out, and Sweatt made a U-turn in his Honda Civic and hit the woman “at a high rate of speed.”
Sweatt told police that Decoff and four men got out of their car and surrounded his, according to a police report obtained by CBS News. One had a knife, he said, and he shouted to responding officers that “they’re trying to kill me!”
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Destini Decoff, 26, was sent flying in the air after Ryan Sweatt, 36, rammed her with his car in what police called an “apparent road rage incident.” (Destini Decoff/Facebook)
The 36-year-old Milford resident was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury, operating to endanger and a marked lanes violation, according to the District Attorney’s Office said, which could not be immediately reached to answer whether additional charges would be filed in light of her death.
A witness told police that Sweatt “chose to turn around” and “knew what he was doing” when he made a U-Turn and hit Decoff with his Civic, according to CBS. Prosecutors said that surveillance footage of the scene affirmed the witness’s account.
“He turned around multiple times, and he could have just kept going,” Brett Martin, who watched the scene unfold on Route 85 from Cornell’s Irish Pub. “He chose to turn around. He knew what he was doing when he went towards that girl.”
Martin said that the impact caused Decoff’s clothes to fly off when she was thrown by the vehicle.
“I saw her midair kind of coming down toward the street,” Martin told CBS. “Her jacket must’ve been 20 feet away from her. However, she got hit, those clothes flew off.”
Martin said he ran over to the scene, grabbed Decoff’s jacket and covered the bloodied woman.
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On Sunday, Tracy Decoff wrote on Facebook that her “firstborn child [and] best friend” had passed away. (Destini Decoff on Facebook)
Prosecutors said a police officer saw Sweatt speed away from the scene after the 6:30 p.m. incident, CBS reported. When police caught up to him, his windshield was damaged – he allegedly got out of the car screaming, “They’re trying to kill me!”
Sweatt told police that Decoff started the altercation by pulling in front of him and slammed on her brakes as he drove home from work, according to court documents. Then, he said, Decoff and four men got out of their vehicle and threatened him.
The District Attorney’s Office did not specify whether Decoff had been driving before she was struck.
Following the District Attorney’s Office announcement, Decoff’s mother wrote on Facebook that Sweatt was “charged with everything he should’ve been.”
“She was in the car with friends when the car behind them was riding their bumper,” the mother wrote. “Car pulled over, they got out of the vehicle and that car tried to run them over.”
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Decoff suffered two collapsed lungs, a brain bleed, a slew of broken bones and extreme facial disfigurement in the attack, her mother said. (Destini Decoff/Facebook)
Decoff’s mother wrote on Facebook that the woman had part of her skull removed to accommodate a brain bleed and was put on a respirator due to two collapsed lungs after she was mowed down in Hopkinton last Thursday.
With a broken rib, shoulder and tibia, along with facial disfigurement that required plastic surgery, the elder Decoff wrote that her daughter was “literally injured from head to toe.”
Last Friday, Decoff’s mother wrote that she “hop[ed] that mf burns directly in hell” with “every ounce of [her] being.”
On Sunday, she wrote that her “firstborn child [and] best friend” had passed away.
The ultimately-fatal road rage incident took place on Route 85 near Cornell’s Irish Pub, pictured. A witness told reporters that Decoff’s jacket landed 20 feet away after she was sent flying in the air. (Google Maps)
Sweatt entered a not-guilty plea, according to court records, and is scheduled to appear in Framingham District Court on April 10. His attorney could not immediately be reached for comment.
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Northeast
Murder suspect in Baltimore robbery spree was on probation, records show
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A Baltimore man faces first-degree murder and multiple armed robbery charges after authorities say he carried out a nine-day crime spree that left a convenience store clerk dead.
Baltimore police said 52-year-old Brian Burrows was arrested in connection with a commercial armed robbery and the fatal shooting of Khaled Saleh Mohamed Alshariki on Feb. 13.
Court records show Burrows has been charged in three separate cases stemming from incidents on Feb. 6, Feb. 13 and Feb. 15. In total, he faces 21 charges, including one count of first-degree murder, three counts each of armed robbery, first-degree assault, use of a firearm in a violent crime and handgun on person.
He also faces two counts each of robbery and second-degree assault, along with charges including reckless endangerment, theft and discharging a firearm.
Brian Burrows faces first-degree murder charges, among numerous others, after police say a nine-day robbery spree left a convenience store clerk dead. (Baltimore City Police)
According to police, officers responded to reports of a shooting around 9:30 a.m. on Feb. 13 and found a 36-year-old man suffering from a gunshot wound to the torso. The victim, later identified as Alshariki, was transported to a nearby hospital where he died.
FOX45 News in Baltimore reported it obtained charging documents in the cases, which state surveillance footage captured a suspect approaching Alshariki as he worked behind the counter, pulling out a gun, demanding money and firing a fatal shot.
Court records show investigators used facial recognition technology to identify Burrows as a possible match.
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A Baltimore man faces first-degree murder and 20 other charges. (Getty Images)
Two days later, another armed robbery was reported at Family Grocery and Tobacco, about a half mile north of the Broadway store.
Police said witness statements and surveillance footage helped identify Burrows, and investigators allege the video evidence also linked him to the fatal shooting.
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Burrows was arrested Feb. 19 after detectives executed a warrant. (iStock)
Burrows was arrested Feb. 19 after detectives executed a warrant at a home in Linden Heights. He was taken to an intake facility and charged.
Court records also show Burrows had an outstanding probation violation warrant issued in September 2025 in a prior armed robbery case. In that case, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison, with 13 years suspended, and placed on supervised probation before his release.
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Burrows remains held without bond as prosecutors pursue the murder and robbery charges, while the probation violation from his prior armed robbery case remains pending.
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Boston, MA
Red Sox rotation contender strikes out four in dominant outing
FORT MYERS, Fla. — Johan Oviedo’s first outing of the spring last week didn’t go great, as the right-hander walked three over 1 2/3 innings in a performance manager Alex Cora described as “erratic.”
His second outing on Monday went much better.
Oviedo was dominant in Monday’s 7-6 win over the Toronto Blue Jays in Dunedin, striking out four over three scoreless innings while holding Toronto to two hits and no walks. He was also highly efficient, throwing 25 of his 31 pitches for strikes while drawing five whiffs.
After allowing a leadoff single to George Springer out of the gate, Oviedo got a strikeout and a double play to quickly get out of the first. He followed that by pitching around a harmless one-out single in the second before sending the Blue Jays down 1-2-3 to finish his outing in the third.
Viewed as the likely top candidate to earn Boston’s No. 5 rotation spot heading into camp, Oviedo clearly helped out his cause with the brilliant showing. He will be in line to make his next start on Saturday.
Gonzales smokes one
Justin Gonzales, a hulking 6-foot-7 outfielder and Boston’s No. 6 prospect according to MLB Pipeline’s latest rankings, made the trip up to Dunedin with the big league club and showed off his power in breathtaking fashion.
In the top of the ninth inning the 19-year-old scorched a single that was measured at 117.3 mph off the bat. According to MLB researcher Sarah Langs’ Daily Statcast leaders, that is the second hardest exit velocity recorded by any player so far this spring. The only ball hit harder was Kansas City Royals’ slugger Jac Caglianone’s 120.2 mph double on Feb. 26.
Franklin Arias, a 20-year-old infielder and Boston’s consensus No. 2 prospect, also made the trip and got the start at shortstop. He went 0 for 3 with two strikeouts at the plate but helped turn a double play to end the bottom of the first.
Big day for Gasper
Monday’s lineup consisted largely of players who are likely to start the season in the minor leagues, but even with that being the case, Mickey Gasper made a strong impression.
The Red Sox catcher and utility player led the offense by going 2 for 3 with a home run and three RBI. Gasper had an RBI single in the top of the third and followed that by crushing a two-run home run with two outs in the top of the fifth.
Nathan Hickey (1 for 2) also had a two-run home run to put the Red Sox ahead for good in the top of the eighth, Allan Castro (2 for 3, stolen base) hit a game-tying solo shot in the sixth, Max Ferguson (1 for 2, walk) had an RBI double and Braiden Ward went 2 for 3 with a stolen base.
Watson struggles
Ryan Watson, a Rule 5 pick looking to make the Red Sox roster as a rookie, had a tough outing on Monday. The right-hander allowed four runs over 2/3 of an inning on one hit, two walks and a hit by pitch.
Watson led off the inning with a lineout before allowing a single, hit by pitch and a walk to load the bases. He then drew a run-scoring groundout before walking another batter to reload the bases. At that point manager Alex Cora lifted the rookie and all three inherited runners came around to score when minor leaguer Patrick Halligan allowed a grand slam to Blue Jays third baseman Addison Barger.
Coming up next
The Red Sox will host Team Puerto Rico in an exhibition at JetBlue Park on Tuesday night ahead of the World Baseball Classic. Left-hander Jake Bennett will get the start for the Red Sox, and Zack Kelly, Tyler Uberstine, Tyler Samaniego and Vinny Nittoli are all scheduled to pitch for Boston too. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on NESN+, NESN 360 and WEEI 93.7 FM.
Pittsburg, PA
Record number of peregrine falcons counted in Allegheny County
In the early 1960s, the peregrine falcon population declined so sharply that the raptors weren’t even nesting in Pennsylvania. But now, the National Aviary says a record number have been counted in Allegheny County.
The National Aviary says six peregrine falcons were recorded in the county during the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count. The nation’s longest-running citizen science project collects data on bird populations for ornithologists, the aviary says. It also plays a role in guiding conservation action, like what was needed to bring peregrine falcons back from the brink of extinction.
Because of the use of DDT, peregrine falcons were no longer nesting in the state of Pennsylvania by the early 1960s, the aviary said. But after the harmful pesticide, which negatively affects reproduction rates in birds, was banned in 1972, conservation efforts have helped the peregrine falcon rebound. It was removed from the federal endangered species list in 1999 and Pennsylvania’s list in 2021.
The record number of peregrine falcons in Allegheny County is thanks in part to the nest on top of Pitt’s Cathedral of Learning in Oakland. For the past two years, biologists with the Pennsylvania Game Commission have banded chicks born in the nest. Three were banded last year, and two the year before that.
People can watch Carla and Ecco raise their family in the nest on a livestream camera run by the National Aviary. Carla laid her first egg of the breeding season on March 16 last year, so the aviary says the start of another season isn’t too far away.
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