Concord Man Accused Of Driving At, Crashing Into Police Cruiser

HOOKSETT, NH — A man from Concord was arrested and held on preventative detention after being accused of driving into a Hooksett police cruiser on Wednesday as well as chases in Bow and with New Hampshire State Police on Tuesday.

Around 1:15 a.m., an officer attempted to stop a Chevy Cruze for a traffic control violation on Riverside Street but it refused to stop. The vehicle got onto Main Street and reached speeds of close to 70 mph, according to police.

“The pursuit was quickly terminated due to safety reasons,” Sgt. David Scarpino of the Hooksett Police Department said.

A few minutes later, while driving north on Hooksett Road, a sergeant saw the vehicle turning onto Memorial Drive, attempting to drive behind a school. The sergeant caught up to the vehicle while turning onto Egawes Drive toward the waste water treatment facility, which was closed at the time. The sergeant identified it as the same Cruze involved in the chase earlier, according to police.

The first officer, who also had a K-9 unit, arrived at the scene. The vehicle then turned around, accelerated, and drove toward the police cruisers, according to Scarpino. He added the Cruze struck the cruiser with the K-9 unit inside, head-on, and then, pushed that cruiser into a second cruiser. Extensive damage was caused to the first cruiser, Scarpino said.

Police had to break the windshield of the Cruze to take the driver, Tyler Matthews, 22, of Concord into custody. He was charged with felony reckless conduct with a deadly weapon as well as disobeying an officer, driving after revocation-subsequent, suspended registration, and reckless operation charges. He was also cited for two traffic control device violations. Matthews had an active warrant out of Franklin District Court for transporting drugs. He was held on preventative detention and is due in Merrimack County Superior Court for arraignment later.

“It was also discovered,” Scarpino said, “that Matthews had been involved in a pursuit a few hours prior with the Bow Police Department and New Hampshire State Police where he almost struck a Bow Police officer with his car.”

Scarpino said no one was injured during the incident.

Editor's note: This post was derived from information supplied by the Hooksett 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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