On December 31st, 2021 at about 12:24 p.m., Medford Police officers were dispatched to the area of 10th Street and Hamilton Street for a hit and run accident Friday afternoon, December 31st, after several witnesses called in various locations of the involved vehicle as it made its way downtown.
Several minutes later, officers found the damaged vehicle disabled and unoccupied. Simultaneously, while checking the area, Officers were made aware of a disturbance at the nearby Sis-Q motel on S. Riverside Avenue.
The involved male fled as officers approached, apprehending the subject after a foot chase on Riverside Avenue and taking him into custody.
Officers then discovered a second individual, believed to be an employee of the motel and involved in the disturbance, was deceased.
The involved suspect is believed to have been involved in other crimes earlier in the day, which are still under investigation. As a result there are multiple crime scenes. Detectives have taken over the case.
The first call involving Smith came in December 31st, 2021 at 12:15 p.m., when he was disorderly at the Chevron gas Station on Biddle Road. A male, later identified as Smith, was attempting to steal cigarettes and physically harassed the employee before leaving in a black Mazda 4 door. He was with a female, who was later identified by authorities.
The same vehicle was involved in two reckless driving calls around 12:24 p.m. The vehicle drove away in a reckless manner and struck a curb, folding one wheel underneath the vehicle after the crash. At this point, the vehicle was occupied by only one person, believed to be Smith, as additional callers reported the vehicle being driven into downtown Medford with a heavily damaged wheel and finally became disabled near Riverside Avenue.
An additional caller reported the suspect went to a room at the Sis-Q motel. One officer arrived on scene, and as the Officer approached the front desk to speak with the manager, the suspect emerged from the office area covered in blood, before fleeing on foot. After a short foot chase, the officer caught the suspect and utilized a taser to take him into custody.
When officers went back to the manager’s office, they found the manager deceased. His wife was also injured from being assaulted. The investigation revealed just minutes prior to the officer arriving, the suspect forced his way into the manager’s office, crawled under the plexi-glass partition and stole money from the register.
During the robbery, the suspect assaulted the manager and forced his way into the manager’s living quarters, where he continued to assault the manager and his wife. The manager, Bansi Sahu, died from his injuries. His wife was treated on scene with non life threatening injuries.
The suspect remains in custody on counts of 1st Degree Robbery, 1st Degree Burglary, 2nd Degree Burglary, and Murder.
