Woman killed in fatal car crash with driver fleeing police in Taunton

A Taunton woman was killed in a car crash with a Medford driver who was allegedly speeding away from police Monday afternoon.

Hector Bannister-Sanchez, 34, was under police guard at Morton Hospital Monday night while being treated for injuries he suffered in the crash, Massachusetts State Police said in a news release.

State Police said Bannister-Sanchez will face criminal charges which will be determined by their ongoing investigation.

Shortly after 2 p.m. Monday, police said, members of a narcotics task force tried to initiate a traffic stop in Middleborough with Bannister-Sanchez, who was driving an SUV. He is a target of an ongoing investigation, they said.

Bannister-Sanchez was driving a 2017 Toyota Highlander and allegedly drove away from the attempted stop at a high rate of speed. 

Task force members, who were in unmarked cruisers, did not pursue Bannister-Sanchez, police said.

Several minutes later, Bannister-Sanchez’s SUV reportedly crashed into another vehicle on Kingman Road in Taunton. Members of the task force responded to the crash scene with State Police patrols and Taunton police.

The vehicle struck by Bannister-Sanchez’s SUV was being driven by a woman, who suffered fatal injuries in the crash, police said.

Following the crash, Bannister-Sanchez reportedly ran away from his SUV on foot, but was found and detained by bystanders and a State Police trooper.

State Police and Taunton police are still investigating the incident.