Video cameras were rolling when the Worcester man who led police on a multi-state high-speed chase was arrested Wednesday afternoon. The video shows him swarmed then punched by police as he was one his knees.
Richard Simone, 50, of Worcester, led police on a high speed chase from Holden, where police tried to pull him over around 4 p.m., to Nashua, New Hampshire. The chase lasted about an hour and reached speeds exceeding 100 mph.
The chase eventually ended on a dead-end road in a residential neighborhood in Nashua.
Video from news helicopters following the chase caught Simone’s arrest on camera. It appears to show Simone slowly getting out of his truck, kneeling and putting his hands on the ground. He was still on his knees when several officers swarmed him and started punching him.
The Massachusetts State Police said they would be conducting two separate reviews of the incident, including of the pursuit and of the apprehension using force. The department stresses it will only review the involvement of Massachusetts state troopers.
The Associated Press reported early Thursday morning that New Hampshire Governor Maggie Hassan is also calling for a full investigation into the use of force by police officers in the video.
Simone is expected to face charges from the pursuit and Massachusetts State Police Spokesman David Procopio said the extradition process to return him to Massachusetts will likely begin Thursday at his arraignment in Nashua District Court.