A retired Cambridge police officer man is facing a charge that he drove away from the scene of a crash after allegedly striking a pedestrian in the Back Bay Wednesday morning, critically injuring the victim.

Lawrence Stead, 69, of Quincy, is to be arraigned Thursday in Boston Municipal Court on a charge of leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident causing personal injury, Boston police said.

Stead retired from the Cambridge police force as an officer in 2009 after a 35-year career, said Jeremy Warnick, a spokesman for the department. It was unclear whether Stead had a lawyer. A telephone listing for him could not be located.


The victim, who was an adult male, was taken to Boston Medical Center with life-threatening injuries and is in critical condition, officials said.

Boston police located the car believed to have been involved in the hit-and-run crash Wednesday afternoon in Quincy.

Officers responded to the MBTA Massachusetts Avenue station just after 6 a.m. to investigate reports of a person struck by a car, according to Officer Rachel McGuire, a police spokeswoman.

Massachusetts Avenue was closed between St. Botolph and Tremont streets for the police investigation, creating traffic delays.