Vermont Man Leads Police on High-Speed Chase Across 3 States After Domestic Assault

A Vermont man who sparked a 3-state manhunt after after a domestic violence incident struck and dragged a Massachusetts state trooper before he was ultimately captured in Connecticut.

Police initially tried to take Mason Payne, 23, into custody at his home in Dover, Vermont, on a domestic assault with a weapon call, WBTS reported, but he fled the scene in a black Audi A3 before they arrived. That was at about 5 p.m. on Tuesday.

Vermont State Police cautioned that Payne should be considered “armed and dangerous” and that he had made threats against law enforcement.

According to WCAX, Payne was armed with a rifle and wearing body armor.

At around 10 p.m., Massachusetts State troopers spotted the vehicle, with a temporary Vermont tag, on Interstate 91 in Holyoke. Troopers again tried to stop Payne, and he again sped off, this time dragging a trooper several feet. The trooper was not seriously hurt, but Payne again got away.

Troopers called in more assets and gave chase at speeds topping 100 mph at times and were unsuccessful at stopping him even after deploying stop sticks, WBTS said. They ultimately called off the pursuit as the speeding fugitive approached a work detail with lane closures.

The Windsor County Sheriff’s Office posted late Wednesday morning that Payne had been taken into custody in Stamford, Connecticut.

The Dover Police Department is the lead agency in the case, but they have not provided any details of the initial domestic assault call. It’s not clear what charges Payne will be facing or if he will be facing charges in all three states. He is presumably awaiting extradition in Connecticut.

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[Featured image: Mason Payne/police handout]