Concord Fugitive Accused Of Attacking Relative With A Machete In 2021

CONCORD, NH — A multi-month investigation into a machete attack in Penacook in September 2021 led to a Concord man being featured as a fugitive of the week and later turning himself in on the charges.

Jason Edward Brooks, 42, of Alice Drive in Penacook was featured in late February after warrants for his arrest for second-degree assault, second-degree assault-domestic violence, reckless conduct, reckless conduct-domestic violence, and convicted felons charges, all felonies, as well as a breach of bail charge were issued in mid-January.

The charges stemmed from an incident on Sept. 5, 2021, on Alice Drive involving several people who were hanging out outside an apartment around 2 a.m. All involved were drinking and talking, according to witnesses, when one man, in his early 20s, began comforting a young woman who appeared to be having an emotional episode in the middle of the parking lot. The man went to hug the woman and while doing so, was struck in the head with a machete.

After being hit, the man turned around and saw the suspect attempting to swing the machete at him again. The man ducked, and the machete did not hit him. After a third attempt, the victim reached out and grabbed the machete, which led to his left hand being cut.

The victim then struck the suspect in the face to stop the attack, which led to another injury to his hand based on being cut from the suspect’s tooth, an affidavit said. The younger man was able to knock down the attacker and then kneed him while on the ground.

The victim went inside an apartment and then, a woman drove him to Concord Hospital for treatment.

An officer questioned him about the attack later that morning. The victim denied knowing the suspect and the woman he was attempting to assist. He also refused to fill out a statement saying he was not a victim and would take care of this himself.

Officers took photographs and evidence from the scene — including blood streaks on a door and blood in the parking lot. They canvassed the area and spoke to witnesses who complained about the thin walls and noise coming from an apartment in Building 11. One witness said it sounded as if someone ran into a wall because it “shook,” but it did not last that long. They also reported hearing doors slam but nothing else.

About five weeks later, police were sent to Branch Turnpike for a report of an assault between the victim in the case and a woman in her 20s. Others, including some involved in other criminal activity, were questioned about the call, but no one was charged.

On Oct. 15, 2021, a detective received a video from Concord Hospital that was requested via subpoena, and two other people were with the victim when he was in the emergency room. The detective called those two people. One revealed that Brooks was a suspect in the machete attack, the affidavit said.

On Nov. 16, 2021, the victim and his attorney were interviewed by police, where the story shifted slightly from what the victim told the first officer — the incident occurred in an apartment, not in the parking lot. The victim confirmed the suspect was Brooks, “was intoxicated” that night, and “felt disrespected” by the victim’s friends, an affidavit said. “Intermittent verbal arguments” occurred before the attack, he said, about the noise level in the apartment.

“(The victim) said he and (a woman) went to her bedroom where he hugged her and, as soon as he released her, ‘boom,’” the report said. “(The victim) said he was hit on the top of the head.”

The victim did not think, at first, Brooks “was trying to kill him but then realized there was a machete in Jason’s left hand,” the affidavit said.

“‘This n---a trying to kill me,’” the victim said to the officer in the report. “(The victim) said to Jason, ‘You a ho.’”

The victim began punching Brooks but could not see due to bleeding from his head, he claimed in the affidavit. The woman, he said, managed to get the machete away from Brooks after he fell to the floor. The victim also said that had Brooks not been drinking, “this would not have happened,” the detective wrote.

The woman declined to offer information about the incident.

The victim also released his medical forms which confirmed “sustained multiple injuries” that required sutures.

The detective questioned Brooks on Dec. 27, 2021, who said he worked a double that day at a bar in Hooksett, and when he got home, there were others at the apartment and a “vibe” that made him feel as if people were hostile to him, the affidavit said. He claimed everyone was on “some sucka sh-t” but “did not elaborate how the physical altercation started,” the report said. Brooks, however, described the machete as black or brown, small in size, and it came from a camping box from Harbor Freight, the report said. He did not know where the machete was, the report stated.

Brooks also showed the detective his injuries during the altercation, according to the report.

The affidavit noted that Brooks was out on bail at the time of the incident and was a felon due to a criminal threatening conviction in Rockingham County Superior Court from September 2004 and was not allowed to possess a machete. He has been arrested dozens of times on various charges.

A warrant was issued on Jan. 14, Brooks was featured as the fugitive of the week on Feb. 23, and he turned himself in on March 8.

Editor's note: This post was derived from information supplied by the Concord Police Department and does not indicate a conviction. This link explains the removal request process for New Hampshire Patch police reports.

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