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Officer shot his own patrol car, Massachusetts police say
By Lawrence Crook, Ralph Ellis and Greg Botelho, CNN

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Updated 7:56 AM ET, Fri September 4, 2015


NEW: Officer fabricated story about patrol car being shot, say police in Millis, Massachusetts
NEW: "He fired shots at his own cruiser," police say


(CNN)—A police officer lied when he said somebody shot at his patrol car, causing it to crash and catch fire, said Millis, Massachusetts, police Sgt. William Dwyer on Thursday.

"We have determined that the officer's story was fabricated," Dwyer said. "Specifically that he fired shots at his own cruiser as part of a plan to concoct a story that he was fired upon."

Dwyer said the officer will be prosecuted. He was a dispatcher hired as a part-time officer and was training to become a full-time officer, Dwyer said.

Dwyer said the officer's name won't be released until charges are filed. He didn't say why the officer made up the story.

On Wednesday, the officer reported that a white man in a dark pickup truck fired shots at him, causing his patrol car to spin around, strike a tree and catch fire. The officer said he returned fire.

Police conducted an intensive search with officers from other law enforcement agencies, firefighters, police dogs and a Massachusetts State Police helicopter.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/03/us/massachusetts-police-cruiser-shot/index.html