Arrest at Pheasant Lane Mall: 2 Good Samaritans Help Officer

NASHUA, NH — Nashua police this week honored two Good Samaritans who recently helped an officer arrest a ”combative” suspect at the Pheasant Lane Mall.

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Police said Officer Adam Rayho was patrolling the mall on Dec. 17 when he was alerted to an “undesirable male ... harassing mall employees.” The male was identified as Devon Santos, 18, of Tyngsboro, Mass.

The officer asked Santos to leave the mall; the teenager refused and engaged in an altercation with Rayho, police said.

That’s when the Good Samaritans—Thomas Panek, of Nashua, and Scott Peluso, of Winchester, Mass., rushed in to help Rayho handcuff the teen.

“The Nashua Police Department thanks these two men for their selfless actions,” police said in a statement.

Panek was presented with a letter by Police Chief Andrew Lavoie. Peluso, who’s an auxiliary officer in Winchester, will be presented with a letter at a later date.

Photo: Nashua Police Chief Andrew Lavoie and Thomas Panek. (Credit: Nashua police)