Authorities in Hooksett, New Hampshire, have announced charges against a man accused of deliberately striking a police cruiser head-on with his own vehicle during a pursuit.
Tyler Matthews, 22, of Concord, New Hampshire, was arrested early Wednesday morning following a pair of pursuits in the Granite State, officers said.
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According to Hooksett police, Matthews, who was later discovered to have an electronic bench warrant out of Franklin District Court for transporting drugs, first refused to stop for a traffic violation in Hooksett around 1:16 a.m. Wednesday.
Officers discovered later on that Matthews had been involved in a pursuit in Bow earlier in the evening with both state and local police, nearly striking a Bow police cruiser, officials said.
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No injuries were sustained in either pursuit.
After reaching speeds of 70 mph on Main Street in Hooksett, officers said they aborted the pursuit of the blue Chevy Cruze for safety reasons. Another officer later observed Matthews turning onto Memorial Drive behind a school and caught up to him on Egawes Drive.
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Two other officers responded to Egawes Drive, police said, where Matthews allegedly turned around, accelerated and struck one of the cruisers head-on.
The cruiser, which suffered extensive damage, was carrying a police dog. Another cruiser sustained minor damage in the collision, which caused Matthews' Cruze to flip over, at which point officers were able to break the windshield and remove Matthews from the vehicle.
Matthews is charged with reckless conduct with a deadly weapon, a felony, as well as disobeying an officer, subsequent driving after revocation and driving with a suspended registration, all misdemeanors. He additionally committed traffic violations, officers said.
Matthews was taken to the Merrimack County House of Corrections and was scheduled to be arraigned in Merrimack County Superior Court. It is unclear if he has an attorney.
