Massachusetts (US), April 19 (ANI): Two young men, armed with guns and explosives in what appeared to be backpacks, engaged in a violent standoff with dozens of police on a street in Watertown, Massachusetts, Thursday night, police and residents said.
According to New York Times, residents saw two young men taking cover behind a black Mercedes sports utility vehicle, in a shootout with dozens of police about 70 yards away.
It marked the second violent episode late Thursday night and into early Friday morning. The chaos that descended on the residential streets came as the community was still reeling from Monday's bombings at the Boston Marathon that killed three and wounded more than 170.
The paper quoted Andrew Kitzenburg, 29, as saying that the two shooters had a large and unwieldy bomb.
"They lit it, still in the middle of the gunfire, and threw it. But it went 20 yards at most.It exploded," he said, adding that one of the two men ran towards the gathered police officers. He was tackled, but it was not clear if he was shot.
The explosions, said Loretta Kehayias, 65, another resident, "lit up the whole house. I screamed. I've never seen anything like this, never, never, never."
Meanwhile, the other young man, said Mr. Kitzenberg, got back into the SUV, turned it toward officers and "put the pedal to the metal." The car "went right through the cops, broke right through and continued west."
The two men left "a few backpacks right by the car, and there is a bomb robot out there now." Police had told residents to stay away from their windows, he said.
A police spokesman, Dave Procopio, told reporters that two suspects were accounted for in Watertown, but that it is not clear if there were others still at large. Explosives were involved, he confirmed, and bomb disposal units were active. He declined to comment on whether the incident was related to the bombs at the Boston marathon. The F.B.I. has officers on the scene and had spoken to two suspects who were in handcuffs.
At least two people were being taken from the scene in ambulances, said a resident who declined to give his name. (ANI)
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