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Nashua teen charged with ‘sudden’ attack on police officer

By Dean Shalhoup - Senior Staff Writer | Aug 28, 2018

NASHUA – A police officer — checking on a report of a young man, clad only in pajama bottoms and meandering in and out of Main Street traffic Saturday morning — suffered cuts to his forehead and nose when the man allegedly attacked him, according to the officer’s report.

The alleged perpetrator, Gabriel Hulen, 19, of 1 Sarasota Ave., was held overnight in jail and arraigned Monday in Nashua district court on the resulting charges, which include one count each of simple assault with bodily injury; resisting arrest or detention; disorderly conduct; and criminal mischief.

All are Class A misdemeanors except for the disorderly conduct, which is a violation.

Judge Elizabeth Leonard, who conducted Hulen’s arraignment via video conference from Valley Street jail, set bail at $1,500 cash or surety and set a pretrial conference for 8:15 a.m. Sept. 18 in the Nashua court.

The officer, Master Patrolman Robert Dunn, stated in his report he was sent to the area of Main and Lake streets shortly before 7 a.m. Saturday, after police received calls of a “disorderly man walking in the intersection and blocking traffic.”

Dunn located the suspect, described as shirtless, shoeless and wearing only “red plaid pajama pants,” and turned his cruiser around to speak with the man.

Dunn said he told the man to get on the sidewalk, but he allegedly “walked toward (Dunn) and back into the street” near the entrance to Shaw’s Plaza, 300 Main St.

Once out of his cruiser, Dunn said he led the man to the side of the road, had him sit down and “attempted to determine who he was,” according to the report.

Dunn described the man’s responses to his questions as “gibberish,” and that he was “saying random, nonsensical things about having a good night.”

It was then that the man, later identified as Hulen, allegedly “stood up and started swinging his fists wildly at me,” Dunn wrote. At least one punch allegedly connected with the side of his head, which also knocked Dunn’s glasses off and broke them, he said.

Dunn was able to put Hulen in handcuffs, but said he was forced to use pepper spray when Hulen allegedly struggled and “tried to walk away” from Dunn, he said.

He eventually got Hulen into the cruiser, at which point Dunn noticed he was bleeding from his forehead and nose, according to the report.

A backup officer helped him treat the injuries, after which, Dunn said, he drove Hulen to police headquarters.

Dean Shalhoup can be reached at 594-1256, dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com or @Telegraph_DeanS.

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