Crime & Safety

Police Arrest Armed Man Following Car Chase

Lawrence Martell, 34, of Contoocook, is facing numerous criminal charges.

A Contoocook man is being held at a Concord Hospital after leading police on a car chase on Wednesday morning.

Lawrence Martell, 34, led the Henniker Police and New Hampshire State Police on a vehicular pursuit on Interstate 89 beginning at 10:20 a.m. Wednesday. Martell was wanted in connection with a domestic violence simple assault and was reportedly suicidal and armed with a knife, according to state police.

The pursuit, which began in Henniker, ended when state police effectively deployed a stop stick tire deflation device on I-89 in Hopkinton. Martell jumped from his vehicle, a Dodge Dakota pickup truck, once its left front tire was deflated and before his vehicle came to a stop.

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Martell was charged with the felony charge of reckless conduct for swerving and accelerating toward troopers as they attempted to deploy the tire deflation device. He was also charged with resisting arrest, reckless driving and disobeying an officer.

He is currently admitted at Concord Hospital pending a psychological evaluation and is scheduled to be arraigned on the criminal charges in both Hillsborough and Concord district courts at a later date.

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