HOOKSETT, N.H. (WHDH) - A New Hampshire man is facing a slew of charges after crashing into two police cruisers following a pursuit in Hooksett early Wednesday morning, authorities said.
An officer attempted to stop a blue Chevy Cruze for a traffic control violation on Riverside Street around 1:15 a.m. but the driver, later identified as Tyler Matthews, 22, of Concord, refused to stop and continued onto Main Street at speeds that reached almost 70 mph, according to Hooksett police.
The pursuit was terminated due to safety reasons, police said.
A few minutes later, a police sergeant driving north on Hooksett road saw a vehicle turning onto Memorial Drive and going behind a closed school.
The sergeant caught up to the vehicle while it turned onto Egawes Drive toward the Waste Water Treatment facility, which was also closed, and identified the car as the Chevy Cruze that had been involved in the pursuit, police said.
Additional officers responded to the area and as Matthews turned the Chevy Cruze around, he accelerated it and drove it toward the cruisers, police added.
The car reportedly struck one cruiser with an officer and a K-9 inside head-on.
The impact caused the Chevy Cruze to roll onto its driver’s side before it struck an additional police cruiser.
Officers broke the windshield of the Chevy Cruze and took Matthews into custody once he was removed from the vehicle, police said.
There were no injuries reported.
He was discovered to have an electronic bench warrant out of Franklin District Court for transporting drugs, police added.
Matthews is also facing charges of reckless conduct with a deadly weapon, disobeying an officer, subsequent driving after revocation, suspended registration, reckless operation, and traffic control device.
Hooksett police also reportedly discovered that Matthews had been involved in a pursuit a few hours prior with Bow and state police, where he almost hit a Bow police officer with his car.
Matthews was held on preventative detention and transported to Merrimack County House of Corrections pending his arraignment.
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