Two New England state troopers were arrested and charged with simple assault in a May car chase that ended in a violent arrest caught on live television, officials said Tuesday.
Massachusetts State Police Trooper Joseph Flynn, 32, was charged with two counts of simple assault and New Hampshire State Police Trooper Andrew Monaco, 31, was charged with three counts of simple assault, according to a release from the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office. Both troopers could face additional penalties because they were on duty at the time of the incident.
News helicopters hovering over the final moments of the car chase in Nashua, New Hampshire, captured video of uniformed law enforcement officers throwing punches at the suspect as he knelt on the ground next to his pickup truck, his hands on the asphalt in front of him.
The takedown played out live on some local news stations.
Flynn and Monaco were released on $2,000 and $3,000 recognizance bonds, respectively, according to the press release.
Monaco declined to comment. Attorneys for each did not respond to CNN requests for comment.
The Massachusetts State Police internal affairs investigation is active and Flynn remains suspended with pay, according to spokesperson Dave Procopio.
The State Police Association of Massachusetts and the New Hampshire State Police declined to comment.
In a May press conference, New Hampshire State Police Director Robert Quinn told reporters Monaco was “immediately relieved from duty without pay” for his alleged involvement in the “disturbing” incident.
The chase began just after 4 p.m. on May 11 in Holden, Massachusetts, after local police attempted to stop a man “known to them to be the subject of multiple warrants,” Procopio said.
When the suspect, identified as 50-year-old Richard Simone, refused to pull over, Holden police began a pursuit.
Simone, who was wanted for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, larceny, and a previous instance of failure to stop for police, “continued making abrupt lane changes” as he “continued to try to evade capture,” Procopio said.
Local and state police in New Hampshire joined the pursuit when the 50-mile chase crossed state lines.
Simone at last pulled over in a residential neighborhood of Nashua, nearly an hour after the chase had begun, officials said. Simone’s attorney did not respond for comment on the charges.
The troopers are scheduled to be arraigned on September 13 in Nashua District Court.
