Troopers Suspended After Allegedly Punching Suspect On Live TV
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The man was on his hands and knees when video shows him being hit repeatedly by officers
Two
state police troopers were relieved of duty—one without pay—after they
were apparently captured beating up a suspect on live TV.
On Wednesday, Richard Simone, a 50-year-old white man, allegedly refused to pull over in Holden, Massachusetts, ultimately leading Massachusetts and New Hampshire state troopers on a chase across two states. Simone finally surrendered, exiting the car and getting on his hands and knees. As police approached to make the arrest, two troopers appear to punch Simone several times. The Associated Press has published video of the incident
.
Simone did not appear to provoke the attack, though MassLive later pointed out that he allegedly escaped from an arrest attempt a few days earlier by nearly ramming a police cruiser. Simone was wanted for that attempted assault and another outstanding warrant when police encountered him again on Wednesday.
The very public nature of Simone’s arrest drew a fast response from
authorities in both states. The next day, the New Hampshire Attorney
General’s office announced it would launch a “criminal investigation” into the officers’ actions, and the Massachusetts State Police said
“the actions taken by a trooper from our department … as those actions
appear in news footage of the arrest—are, upon initial review,
disturbing,” and that Internal Affairs would be investigating. The New
Hampshire State Police will also launch an investigation, it announced
at a press conference.
Two state troopers, one from each state, were relieved of duty less than 24 hours after the chase. The New Hampshire trooper’s suspension is without pay, while the Massachusetts trooper will have an internal hearing on Friday to determine further actions. Compare that to, say, Jason Van Dyke, the Chicago police officer who was placed on paid desk duty after shooting Laquan McDonald in October 2014 and only suspended without pay when he was charged with McDonald’s murder in November 2015, which only came after a judge ordered the dashcam video of McDonald’s shooting to be released.
While Simone’s name and mugshot have been widely disseminated, the troopers have not been named “pursuant to protocol, in an effort to protect the investigation,” the New Hampshire Attorney General’s office said.
On Wednesday, Richard Simone, a 50-year-old white man, allegedly refused to pull over in Holden, Massachusetts, ultimately leading Massachusetts and New Hampshire state troopers on a chase across two states. Simone finally surrendered, exiting the car and getting on his hands and knees. As police approached to make the arrest, two troopers appear to punch Simone several times. The Associated Press has published video of the incident
.
Simone did not appear to provoke the attack, though MassLive later pointed out that he allegedly escaped from an arrest attempt a few days earlier by nearly ramming a police cruiser. Simone was wanted for that attempted assault and another outstanding warrant when police encountered him again on Wednesday.
Two state troopers, one from each state, were relieved of duty less than 24 hours after the chase. The New Hampshire trooper’s suspension is without pay, while the Massachusetts trooper will have an internal hearing on Friday to determine further actions. Compare that to, say, Jason Van Dyke, the Chicago police officer who was placed on paid desk duty after shooting Laquan McDonald in October 2014 and only suspended without pay when he was charged with McDonald’s murder in November 2015, which only came after a judge ordered the dashcam video of McDonald’s shooting to be released.
While Simone’s name and mugshot have been widely disseminated, the troopers have not been named “pursuant to protocol, in an effort to protect the investigation,” the New Hampshire Attorney General’s office said.
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