A West Springfield man has been charged with multiple counts of manslaughter after authorities say he allegedly tried to speed down a highway exit, causing a crash that left three members of a work crew dead in the process.
Law enforcement officials say 29-year-old Bilal Griffith is facing at least three counts of manslaughter and one count of leaving the scene of personal injury and death following an overnight crash along I-91 in West Springfield.
Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni said it was around 12:45 a.m. when Griffith allegedly tried to take an exit at a high rate of speed and hit a crew working in the area.
“Overnight into this morning, March 28, three individuals were in an established work site repairing damaged guardrails on Route 91 North in West Springfield,” the DA said during a press conference Friday, March 28. “At approximately 12:45 this morning, a vehicle, later identified as a 2021 Jeep Cherokee, took exit 10A off 91 North at a very high rate of speed and struck and killed all three men.”
Griffith’s vehicle flipped over as a result, ending up on its roof in the middle of the exit ramp.
Exactly how fast he was going will be the subject of a lengthy crash reconstruction investigation, the DA says, who added that based on video evidence already collected, officials believe the Jeep Cherokee was traveling faster than any “appropriate speed.”
Regardless, Gulluni says Griffith was able to get out of the vehicle and allegedly flee on foot – leading to a search involving state and local police that lasted hours – ending with the suspect found on a side street a short distance away, off Riverdale Road.
“It was several hours later - he was seen down in the area off Riverdale Road, actually by a sergeant assigned to my office. In plainclothes, he engaged the individual who met the description, both in clothing and appearance, of what was determined by the investigation at that point,” he said. “After a brief dialogue, this individual went running. This sergeant gave chase and alerted other officers in the [Massachusetts State Police] Air Wing. [They] chased him for upwards of a half-mile through woods and through commercial and residential areas, and finally, ended up in the area of Myron Street, where he was sort of surrounded by other law enforcement.”
It was at that point that Griffith reportedly surrendered.
The victims were later identified as 26-year-old Igor Costa of Marlborough, 48-year-old Ryan Almeida and 57-year-old Raul Bohorquez – both from Brockton.
Answering questions from reporters, Gulluni says the three workers killed were with the company Premier Fence, and that they had been working in an “established work area” with a Massachusetts State Police trooper working the detail.
Griffith was arraigned Friday afternoon in Springfield District Court. He is currently being held on $1 million cash bail, with a bail hearing scheduled for April 2.
