Police apprehend man who opened fire outside state facility

MIDDLEBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — A man police say fired multiple gunshots outside a state Department of Transportation facility south of Boston on Friday before fleeing into the nearby woods as Tropical Storm Elsa pelted the area with rain has been apprehended, police said.

The suspect was caught hiding in the woods not far from the shooting site at about 11:30 a.m., Middleborough police Chief Joseph Perkins said at a news conference.

There were no reported injuries, but a vehicle window was struck.

The suspect is a 55-year-old Falmouth man. He faces firearms and disturbing the peace charges. He has a valid firearms license and the gun used was registered to him, police said in a statement.

The motive remains unclear, but police say it does not appear as if he was targeting anyone.

Police responded to the public works depot just after 9 a.m. The suspect fired four or five shots from the street. The shooting was witnessed by at least five workers at a nearby fencing company, the chief said.

The shooting occurred near a 240-unit apartment complex and area residents were asked to shelter in place and streets were closed to traffic as police searched for the suspect.