MANCHESTER, NH – Two men were arrested June 24 after leading police on a chase from Manchester to Nashua and eventually, ending in Bedford.
On June 24, 2019 around 4:45 p.m. Manchester Police attempted to pull a truck over after they allegedly observed some suspicious activity and also multiple motor vehicle violations. Police activated emergency lights and siren but the truck didn’t immediately stop, according to police. When it did stop at a red light at Auburn and Elm streets, a police officer got out of her car and approached the truck, but the driver ended up taking off, police say.
The truck eventually stopped again and let a passenger out and then continued on. While police stopped and questioned the passenger, other police units were called to pursue the truck.
The driver, later identified as George Riley, 39, of Bedford, was allegedly driving erratically, crossing the double yellow lines into oncoming traffic, going over curbs and onto embankments. Several officers tried to get Riley to pull over, but he merged onto I-293. The pursuit continued into Nashua at which point State Police took over. Hours later, they were able to take Riley into custody in Bedford, who had barricaded himself inside his vehicle, according to Bedford police. A “shelter in place” advisory was issued by Bedford police at about 7 p.m. which lasted until the situation was resolved, at around 9:20 p.m.
Manchester Police charged Riley with disobeying a police officer, reckless conduct and being a habitual offender. His passenger, Matthew Brault, 39, of Manchester, was also arrested charged with possession of a controlled drug. Both are scheduled to appear in Hillsborough County Superior Court North Tuesday afternoon.
This arrest information was provided by Manchester Police Department. Anyone accused of a crime is presumed innocent unless due process and proven guilty by a court of law.
