A Routine Gas Stop in West Roxbury Ended at Gunpoint
A motorist at a Speedway station on Washington Street in West Roxbury reported their car stolen at gunpoint on a Sunday, police said.
Scene imagery is illustrative — not the actual locationOn Sunday, February 19, 2023, Boston police responded to the Speedway gas station on Washington Street in West Roxbury after a motorist reported being carjacked at gunpoint, according to WHDH.
The driver told officers the vehicle was taken at gunpoint at the pumps. Police spoke with the victim at the scene and opened an investigation. No injuries were reported.
West Roxbury is one of Boston's quieter residential neighborhoods — a place people move to specifically for the calm. The carjacking happened at an ordinary gas station on a Sunday, the kind of stop most of us make on autopilot.
Seconds versus minutes.
Nobody moves toward danger faster than police. The clock is still the clock.
Until they arrive, you are the plan: distance, locked doors, a phone in hand, training. A Massachusetts license takes months — start before you need it.
Sources: NENA 911 call-processing standard (STA-020.1-2020) · FBI, Active Shooter Incidents 2000–2013 · City of Boston, Boston About Results — BPD Performance Report. Boston's figure is its last published Priority 1 median, call receipt to arrival. Incident timing is from the FBI's study of timed violent incidents. Respect for the officers who answer these calls, always — this is arithmetic, not blame.
This could have been any of us.
Pumping gas is one of the few times we all stand still, outdoors, next to a running or unlocked car, usually staring at a phone or the little screen on the pump. Carjackers know this. It's why gas stations show up again and again in these reports — not because the neighborhoods are dangerous, but because the moment is predictable.
The reality most of us never see coming.
Sources: Council on Criminal Justice, Trends in Carjacking · Council on Criminal Justice, Trends in Carjacking · Mass.gov / EOPSS crime data release
What we tell our students.
Our instructors have taught firearm safety in Massachusetts for over twenty years, and one pattern never changes: the phone calls to our Everett range spike after something happens close to home. People wait for the near-miss. The problem is the timeline — between the required training, the application, and the processing wait, an LTC in Massachusetts is a months-long project. Starting after you're scared means months of feeling behind.
To be clear about what we teach: a firearm is a last resort, and in a situation like this one, handing over the keys is almost always the right move. A car is replaceable. What training gives you isn't a script for fighting back — it's a calmer head, a plan, and a lawful path if you decide carrying is right for you. Our class qualifies you to apply; the decision stays yours.
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