Concord Teen Arrested On Burglary, Biting, Strangulation Charges

CONCORD, NH — A local teen was arrested on several charges, including two felonies, after police were sent to a melee at an apartment complex on the Concord Heights.

Around 10:30 p.m. on March 8, officers were sent to the Royal Gardens apartment complex for a report of a fight involving "a large number of individuals" with one caller reportedly hearing someone scream, "Do you want to die tonight?"

When the first officer arrived, he reported seeing a man running toward a group of people in front of another apartment. The officer turned on the cruiser's take down lights, to illuminate the area, and found two men wrestling each other with one, Jonathan Ruharuka, 19, of Concord Gardens in Concord, being held down by the other.

"I immediately exited my fully marked cruiser and ran over to them, shouting, 'Police, break it up, now!,'" the officer wrote.

The man holding Ruharuka down put up his hands and said, "It's not me, it's him," pointing to Ruharuka. Other people who were watching the fight made similar statements about Ruharuka, an affidavit stated.

The officer took ahold of Ruharuka, "who was still struggling with (the other man)," and attempted to get him up from the ground. Ruharuka, however, was accused of struggling with the officer and ignoring commands. The officer then took Ruharuka to the ground and along with two other officers, attempted to handcuff him, but he was still struggling, the affidavit stated. Ruharuka, the officer wrote, overwhelmingly smelled like alcohol and slurred his words while speaking.

Ruharuka refused to commit to cooperate during the booking process, so he was taken directly to the county jail, an affidavit stated.

Other officers investigated what happened that night.

According to witnesses and victims, Ruharuka was accused of banging on an apartment door. A woman answered the door, thinking it was her father, and Ruharuka "forced his way inside" and began assaulting the woman. After breaking away, the woman called her brother and a girl for help.

The girl, who knew Ruharuka, was the first to arrive and when she did, Ruharuka was accused of attacking and strangling her. She struggled with him and, eventually, he let go, the report said. The brother arrived while Ruharuka was still "on top of the female who he thought was his sister," the officer said. The brother grabbed him and wrestled him away from the girl. Ruharuka then bit the brother in the left chest, an injury the second officer visually confirmed, an affidavit stated.

After that, the fight made its way outside of the apartment, onto the grounds of the complex, and police arrived. The officer reported a trail of discarded personal belongings between the woman's apartment and the grounds of the complex.

Ruharuka was charged with second-degree assault-strangulation and burglary, both felonies, two counts of simple assault as well as single counts of disorderly conduct, resisting arrest or detention, and unlawful possession-intoxication.

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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