Concord Man Accused Of Pistol-Whipping Another Man Outside St. John's Food Pantry

CONCORD, NH — A man from Concord is facing felony charges after being accused of pistol-whipping another man on the compound of Christ the King Parish on South Main Street Tuesday night.

Around 7:30 p.m., officers were sent to the parking area near St. John’s Food Pantry for a report of an assault. A man reported being “pistol-whipped” by another man. The victim said there was a second man and a woman also at the scene. One of the men was described as Black, bald, and wearing gray shorts. He fled toward South Main Street while the others also left the area after the incident, the victim stated.

Officers began searching the area for the suspect and the companions while another officer interviewed the victim. The victim had a bruise and cut on his head, officers said.

Officers also canvassed the area and reached out to neighborhood residents to see if anyone saw anything. One officer asked if the situation was connected to Concord’s homeless issues, but another officer stated they did not think so. Officers reported checking several streets in the southern part of downtown and not finding anyone matching the description of the suspect or the people he was with.

According to scanner chatter, around 8 p.m., a neighborhood resident suggested an officer check Perley Street for a woman who may have been involved in the incident.

While one set of officers questioned people at a Perley Street residence, other officers obtained surveillance footage from the area. They identified the assault suspect as Bluestone Antoine Rhau, 48, of Concord. According to police reports, he was issued a summons on two bench warrants on Perley Street on April 19. Rhau was also previously cited in March 2023 for driving violations. At the time, he was living in Boscawen.

Concord police were on Perley Street for several hours after requesting a search warrant. The police cruisers were parked near South Main Street.

Around 10 p.m., Rhau was arrested on reckless conduct-dealy weapon, criminal threatening-deadly weapon, and second-degree assault-deadly weapon charges, all felonies. He was held on preventative detention and was scheduled to be arraigned in Concord District Court Wednesday.

Two other people were arrested on other charges.

Deputy Chief John Thomas of the Concord Police Department said, “all parties involved in the incident have been identified and there is no threat to the public,” adding, “this investigation remains active and ongoing.” Anyone with information pertaining to the incident was asked to contact the Criminal Investigations Division at 603-225-8600.

Tips can also be submitted anonymously through the Concord Regional Crimeline at 603-226-3100 or online at concordregionalcrimeline.com.

Do you have a news tip? Please email it to tony.schinella@patch.com. View videos on Tony Schinella's YouTube.com channel or Rumble.com channel. Follow the NH politics Twitter account @NHPatchPolitics for all our campaign coverage.