Two state troopers have been relieved from duty after they were seen repeatedly punching Simone during his arrest on Wednesday afternoon in Nashua, New Hampshire.
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A video obtained by Reuters and taken from a helicopter showed officers drawing their weapons at the end of a high-speed chase that began in MA and ended in New Hampshire.
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker called the news helicopter video of police appearing to pummel Simone “incredibly disturbing”. He was wanted on multiple warrants for assault and battery with a risky weapon, larceny and failure to stop for police.
Baker said Thursday his administration was anxious to work with New Hampshire authorities to investigate the circumstances, and that he planned to call New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan later Thursday. Simone received medical treatment after his arrest.
The focus, however, centered on the officers’ actions following the chase that reached speeds of more than 100 miles per hour. It was not clear whether Simone was injured.
The Massachusetts State Police has also relieved one trooper from duty pending the outcome of an internal hearing on Friday.
The Massachusetts State Police said that Simone continued to drive, at one point crashing near a town hall, but continued on until he came to a stop in a residential neighborhood in nearby Nashua, N.H.
New Hampshire has a rich history of community policing where law enforcement members have strong, collaborative relationships with the communities in which they serve.
Simone was expected to face charges today in Nashua, New Hampshire, in connection with the pursuit, of being a fugitive from justice, authorities said.
The apparent violence as the suspect “appeared to be surrendering was significant”, Gilles Bissonnette, the legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of New Hampshire, told The Globe, adding that he expects an investigation “to determine whether the force used was reasonable and proportional”.
In a news release, Hudson police said the Chevrolet Silverado was traveling at a high rates of speed and collided with a Massachusetts State Police cruiser that was involved in the pursuit.
The chase began just after 4 p.m.in Holden, Massachusetts, after local police attempted to stop a man “known to them to be the subject of multiple warrants”, Procopio said.
But spike strips laid out by police eventually took their toll. The chase ended on a dead-end street in Nashua. “Obviously they weren’t happy, but, I mean, he wasn’t fighting them, so it was a little bit much I think”, witness Melissa Oquendo told WBZ-TV. “Rubber was flying everywhere”.
Several police officers, some with their guns drawn and one restraining a dog, encircled Simone as he crawled out of his auto, the news helicopter video shows.
FOX25’s Bob Ward looked over the pursuit policy, which was last updated in 2012, and spoke with former Boston Police Superintendent in Chief Dan Linskey.
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The suspect seen in the video, Richard Simone of Worcester, Mass., is brought in to be arraigned at Hillsborough County Superior Court in Nashua, N.H., on Thursday.
