Driver intentionally crashes into Shrewsbury police station, officials say

( WHDH )

A driver was arrested after they “intentionally” crashed into the Shrewsbury police station Monday, ending up completely inside the building, according to Shrewsbury police.

Police identified the driver as Robert McCluskey, 58, of Shrewsbury.

Shrewsbury police said the black SUV drove forcefully drove through and became wedged inside the building shortly after 2 p.m. The smashed car has since been towed away.

“So we actually put two pylons out there to prevent people from hitting the building, it went through that, it went through the door — actually two doors — went through the front lobby, and then went through the wall of the dispatch center,” said Shrewsbury Police Chief Kevin Anderson. “There were three dispatchers working at the time and, obviously, they’re very shooken up.”

McCluskey was the only person inside the car at the time and was taken to the hospital. No one else was hurt.

Police say as he was removed from the car, he repeatedly said, “I am sorry, I am sorry, help me, I am sorry.”

According to a police report, when officers asked McCluskey if his actions were intentional, he said they were.

Neighbors said they’ve never seen anything like this.

“It’s hard to imagine to get that far into the station,” said Bill Jewers, who lives across the street. “The barricades — it’s pretty well fortified, so it’s scary.”

Police said they have prior experience with the driver, but not since 2019.

Anderson said they have not yet identified a motive, but there is no danger to the community at this time.

Police said they are lucky the outcome of this incident was not any worse.

“We’re very fortunate that we have a training room, that there was training going on, and that ended about 30 minutes prior to this incident,” said Anderson.

The front lobby of the police station is closed, but police said the department remains fully operational. Anyone who needs to file a police report can do so by calling 508-845-1212.

The crash is under investigation by Shrewsbury police and the District Attorney’s Office.

The suspect has not been publicly identified, but they are expected to be arraigned in Westborough District Court Tuesday.