Caught on camera: Police pummel suspect after chase

NASHUA, N.H. -- Helicopter video of the end of a high-speed police pursuit from Massachusetts to New Hampshire shows a driver stepping slowly out of his truck, kneeling and putting his hands on the ground before several officers rush him and start pummeling him.

At about 4:00 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, Holden police officers attempted to stop a pickup truck operated by 50-year-old Richard Simone of Worcester, Massachusetts. Simone is known to police and is the subject of several warrants. He refused to stop for officers and a pursuit began, CBS Boston reported.

Local police and Massachusetts State Police followed Simone into Nashua, New Hampshire. He was arrested by Nashua Police on Hughey Street about an hour after the chase began.

At the end of the chase, the driver can be seen stepping out of the truck and going to the ground.

Police officers then move in on Simone, and several appear to throw punches and use their knees to subdue him.

WBZ-TV Security Analyst and former Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis watched the pursuit unfold. He said the pursuit itself was textbook, but the arrest warrants further investigation.

"It does appear that he's complying with the officers' orders. Until they start to move very close to him, there doesn't appear to be a problem," Davis said. "What happened in those last seconds is going to be crucial to this investigation. But clearly, this is a tough video."

Multiple law enforcement agencies were involved in the chase. It was unclear which department or departments the officers seen on the video were from.

The Massachusetts State Police will conduct two separate reviews of this incident, spokesperson David Procopio said in a statement to CBS News.

"The pursuit, like all pursuits that involve Massachusetts State Police, will be reviewed by the department's pursuit committee. Additionally, MSP will also review the apprehension of the suspect, to determine whether the level of force deployed during the arrest was appropriate," Procopio said.

"We will conduct a separate departmental review of the actual apprehension, as the video captured by news helicopters shows a use of force against the suspect," he continued. "That review will investigate whether the level of force used was appropriate given the totality of the circumstances."

Officers from Hudson Police became involved in the chase around 5 p.m. when the driver hit a utility pole on School Street.

"At that time, we ended our involvement with the pursuit. No Hudson Police Department officers were involved with the pursuit into Nashua or with the apprehension of the suspect," a statement from Hudson Police said.