Cop Pepper Sprays Concord Man After Violent Incident: Report

CONCORD, NH - A local man was arrested last month and held without bail after an allegedly violent domestic disturbance at a Manchester Street manufactured home park, according to arrest and court documents.

Ashton E. Garland, 25, of Beacon Street in Concord, was arrested at 8:15 p.m. on May 23, 2016, for felony second-degree assault, felony domestic violence-simple assault, two counts of simple assault, disorderly conduct, criminal mischief, and resisting arrest or detention.

Editor’s note: This post was derived from information supplied by the Concord Police Department and Concord District Court. It does not indicate a conviction. This link explains the name removal request process for NH Patch police reports.

Officers were sent to a domestic disturbance on Manchester Street where a woman stated that her boyfriend had allegedly assaulted her and her child and was now “outside going crazy,” according to reports.

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When they arrived, they found Garland in the middle of the complex reportedly screaming at everyone.

“Garland was screaming loudly, ‘I’m gonna come back for all of you,’” the officer alleged. “Garland was also yelling things like, ‘I run with all the Mexicans; I’m the only

white boy.’”

After officers told Garland to stop yelling, “multiple times,” he reportedly continued to scream and advanced toward people gathered near one of the homes. He was ordered to stop screaming again but and continued to move away from the officers, according to the report. For officer safety, they handcuffed him and placed him in a cruiser.

“The entire walk the vehicle he continued to scream at (the victim),” the officer alleged. “Once at the vehicle, I told Garland to relax and sit in the cruiser. At this point, Garland stated, ‘Yo, f--- you guys’ and lowered his shoulder and spun quickly in my direction. I was unable to step back in time and Garland’s shoulder struck me in the right shoulder.”

Officers then took him to the ground but he allegedly continued to resist and was warned that if he didn’t stop, he would be pepper sprayed, according to the report. He allegedly yelled more swear words and derogatory comments about the female anatomy at the officers and was sprayed with one short burst to the face, according to the court affidavit.

“After a short time delay, Garland started to complain of a burning sensation in his eyes and his nose began to run,” the officer reported. “Garland stopped screaming and began to listen to our orders.”

Concord Fire and Rescue teams were called in to clean up Garland and he was transported to the Merrimack County House of Corrections.

The officers then spoke to the victim who stated that Garland allegedly grabbed her shoulders and pushed her while inside her residence, according to the report. He also allegedly kicked a door causing damage to the door and a wall. Garland then allegedly punched the woman but she blocked the punch. He also reportedly kicked a dog kennel and threw his cellphone at her, striking her in the face, causing a cut on her life, according to the affidavit.

Garland, according to online reports, has a lengthy criminal history.

Garland was a U.S. Marshals New Hampshire Fugitive of the Week in 2015, while on the run from Oklahoma Police for kidnapping and assault with a dangerous weapon charges, according to a report on Concord NH Patch.

In 2011, he was arrested for possession of controlled drugs-marijuana and theft. He allegedly assaulted a relative in 2012 when he was arrested on four counts of simple assault, according to a report on Patch. Garland was arrested again in 2013 for marijuana. In July 2014, he was arrested on two counts of disorderly conduct and criminal threatening, and single counts of attempt to commit and criminal mischief, after a bizarre incident on North Main Street where he reportedly used anti-gay slurs against officers and threatened to kill a sergeant, according to reports.