An elderly man, aged 74, was violently assaulted by a 6-foot tall individual driving a dark-colored luxury Volkswagen SUV on Fuller Road and Marie Ann Terrace in Centerville, Massachusetts, around 8 to 9 pm on September 9. The attack appears to have originated from a road rage incident. Six days prior to the assault, the Barnstable Town Council voted to end the police department's use of Flock Safety ALPR cameras, which could have aided in identifying and locating the suspect vehicle involved in the attack.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-16,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On September 9, a 74-year-old man was violently assaulted by a white male suspect in his early 30s driving a dark-colored Volkswagen SUV on Fuller Road and Marie Ann Terrace in Centerville, Massachusetts. The attack occurred between 8 PM and 9 PM during what may have been a road rage incident. Police are searching for the assailant described as approximately 6 feet tall, stocky, and possibly having had a passenger with him.
Only six days before this assault, the Barnstable Town Council voted 7-3 to terminate their contract with Flock Safety, discontinuing four Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) readers previously used by the police department for capturing vehicle data. Police Chief Jean Challies and Detective Lt Joseph Green addressed residents' privacy concerns during a town council meeting but emphasized that removing these cameras does not reduce crime.
The identity of the elderly victim has not been disclosed, and authorities continue to investigate the incident, which raises questions about road safety and surveillance technology in the community.
Written for “Elderly Man Assaulted On Cape Cod” on 2026-09-17,
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An elderly man was violently assaulted by a 6ft man in a luxury SUV during a road rage attack near Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
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man → see → Cod
The 74-year-old was attacked on Fuller Road and Marie Ann Terrace in Centerville, on September 9 between 8 and 9pm according to the Barnstable Police Department.
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old → attack → Department
Detectives investigating the case have reported the assault could have started with a road rage incident.
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assault → investigate → incident
Police officials have searched for a suspect described as a white 6ft tall stocky man around 30 years old.
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officials → search → man
He was driving a newer model Volkswagen SUV in a dark color with a VW emblem illuminated on the car grill.
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He → drive → grill
The driver could possibly have had a passenger in the car during the attack.
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driver → have → attack
The identity of the elderly man has not been released.
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identity → release → man
Only six days before the assault, the Barnstable Town Council voted to end police department flock cameras.
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Council → vote → cameras
During the meeting, the town council voted 7-3 to end its contract with Flock Safety and discontinue their use of four Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) readers.
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council → vote → readers
The camera system was created to capture, read and record vehicle data to compare with police databases.
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system → create → databases
It can also generate alerts and create records of vehicle activity, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
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It → generate → Security
The four cameras were previously stationed in different areas around the Barnstable community.
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cameras → station → community
A 74-year-old was attacked on Fuller Road and Marie Ann Terrace in Centerville, on September 9 between 8 to 9pm according to Barnstable Police Department.
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old → attack → Department
Detectives investigating the case have reported the assault could have started with a road rage incident
Only six days before the assault, the Barnstable Town Council voted to end police department flock cameras.
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Council → investigate → cameras
During the meeting, the town council voted 7-3 to end its contract with Flock Safety and discontinue their use of four Automated License Plate Recognition readers
Police Chief Jean Challies and Detective Lt Joseph Green spoke with Barnstable residents and addressed their privacy concerns during the Town Council meeting.
'Taking the cameras down does not reduce crime.
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Taking → vote → crime
It does not lessen the need for investigative tools for us to use, and it doesn't take away privacy concerns,' Challies said in the meeting.
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Challies → lessen → meeting
'People from all over come here, and they expect that we're going to be able to keep them safe.
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we → come → them
There's a lot of demands on this department, so we want to be able to use the technological resources that are available to us, and we are committed to using them safely,' she said.
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she → be → them
The Barnstable Police Department has urged councilors to allow them to continue using the technology as an investigative tool to prevent attacks such as the road rage incident.
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them → urge → incident
'If ALPR cameras had still been operational, ALPR technology could provide the Detective Division with an additional resource to identify the suspect vehicle, potentially generating critical leads in a serious assault investigation,' Barnstable Police Lieutenant Kevin Fullam told The Daily Mail in a statement.
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Fullam → provide → statement
Other communities in Massachusetts have also canceled their contracts with Flock Safety in the past few weeks.
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communities → cancel → weeks
'The Wilmington Police Department, in recognition of privacy concerns expressed in our community, is terminating its contract with Flock Safety and will remove both existing cameras as soon as possible,' the Wilmington Police Department wrote in a statement on Facebook.
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Department → express → Facebook
Earlier in September, Mayor Jeannette McCarthy of Waltham had announced a call to action for cameras to be covered by black trash bags in protest, according to the Waltham Police Department.
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cameras → announce → Department
Other communities in Massachusetts around the Cape Cod area have also cancelled their contracts with Flock Safety in the past few weeks.
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communities → cancel → weeks
Residents have sparked controversy on social media in support and in disapproval of the technology
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Residents → spark → technology
Residents have sparked controversy on social media in support and in disapproval of the technology.
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Residents → spark → technology
One Facebook user wrote: 'Maybe we should have a serious conversation about how much surveillance we're willing to normalize BEFORE it's everywhere.'
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it → write → surveillance
Another wrote: 'These cameras solve crimes, find stolen cars, and help catch people who think they can get away with anything.
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they → write → anything
Honestly, I think every neighborhood should have more of them.
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neighborhood → think → them
If that offends you, maybe ask yourself why you're so worried about being on camera.'
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you → offend → camera
The suspect's vehicle was last seen driving toward Fuller Road after the attack.
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vehicle → see → attack
The elderly man was taken to Cape Cod Hospital to be treated for significant injuries.
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man → take → injuries
The Daily Mail has reached out to Mayor Jeannette McCarthy and Barnstable Police Detective Eric Rogorzenski for comments and additional details.
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Mail → reach → comments
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