New Hampshire has formally charged the State Troopers who were caught on camera beating a suspect who was kneeling on the ground in surrender this May. The footage of the arrest shows the conclusion of a car chase, in which the suspect pulls to the side of the road, exits his vehicle, and gets onto his hands and knees. At no point is he seen reaching for or brandishing a weapon. State troopers descend onto the man. They repeatedly punch him before finally cuffing and arresting him.
As footage of the beating gained traction online, New Hampshire Attorney General Joseph Foster launched a criminal investigation into the police officers’ conduct. On Tuesday, Foster announced that two officers had been arrested and charged with simple assault: Massachusetts State Trooper Joseph Flynn and New Hampshire State Trooper Andrew Monaco. The former was charged with two counts of simple assault, the latter with three. The officers are scheduled to be indicted in New Hampshire city of Nashua this September.
Massachusetts State Police were in pursuit of suspect Richard Simone for an hour before he surrendered. Simone was wanted on outstanding warrants for assault, battery and larceny. New Hampshire Governor Maggie Hassan told reporters the footage raised “serious concerns” about use of force. He added, “We must treat this incident 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.”
(via Washington Post)