2 States Investigate Video of Police Hitting a Car Chase Suspect
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Version 0 of 1. The authorities in Massachusetts and New Hampshire are investigating the use of force by police officers shown in a video punching a man with outstanding warrants who had surrendered and dropped to the ground after a car chase. The video, about one minute long, was recorded by at least one news helicopter that had been following the car chase that started in Holden, Mass., and ended on a dead-end street in Nashua, N.H., about 60 miles away, on Wednesday. The footage shows the man, identified as Richard Simone, 50, opening the door of his truck and kneeling in front of about half a dozen officers, some of whom aim weapons at him. Then, once he is face down, the officers punch him in the head and body at least eight times. On Thursday, the New Hampshire authorities announced that a state trooper had been relieved of his duties without pay as a result of the investigation. No further details about his identity or what role he played in connection with the events depicted in the video were immediately available. New Hampshire’s assistant attorney general, Jeffery Strelzin, said in an email Thursday that his office would conduct a criminal investigation to determine what force was used and by whom, and whether it was appropriate under the law. “I think anyone who looks at the video is disturbed by it, but again we don’t jump to conclusions,” he told reporters on Wednesday, according to WFXT television. “We need to find out exactly what happened.” The debate over the police’s use of force has widened and officers’ conduct has come under greater scrutiny in recent years, especially as more and more high-profile episodes are captured on cellphones. Images of questionable police behavior, spread through social media, have led to nationwide protests, federal investigations and changes in policy and attitudes on race. The director of the F.B.I., James Comey, said Wednesday that he believed a “viral video effect” — in which officers are wary of confronting suspects for fear of ending up on a video — “could well be at the heart” of a rise in violent crime in some cities. A spokesman for the Massachusetts State Police, David Procopio, said Thursday that the authorities would look into whether the policy on pursuits was followed and into the use of force. Mr. Procopio said the chase started on Wednesday in Holden, about 50 miles west of Boston, when the police there tried to pull over Mr. Simone’s truck over arrest warrants on charges including assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. But he drove off, and the officers, eventually joined by the State Police, gave chase. During the hourlong pursuit, Mr. Simone crossed into New Hampshire, where local police and State Police there joined in, he said. Mr. Procopio said Thursday that Mr. Simone had been arraigned as a fugitive in New Hampshire and would be extradited to Massachusetts to face his original charges. Gov. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire said Thursday that the footage raised “serious concerns” and that the investigation was “important and appropriate.” “New Hampshire has a rich history of community policing where law enforcement members have strong, collaborative relationships with the communities in which they serve,” she said in statement. Ms. Hassan added that the episode must be treated with the “utmost seriousness without disparaging all of the hard-working police officers who put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe.” |