MANCHESTER, New Hampshire — A 60-year-old Nashua, New Hampshire man is under arrest after police said he led them in a chase through Manchester, onto Interstate 293 and into Nashua, where he allegedly rammed a Nashua police cruiser with his Jeep.
George Bally is facing multiple charges after the incident, which began in Manchester near Lowell and Union streets with a reported hit-and-run about 10:55 a.m., and ended about 20 miles away with the crash in Nashua.
As police were investigating the reported hit-and-run, they received a call that a Jeep with heavy front-end damage had almost struck a vehicle at a red light on Bridge Street, across from St. Mary’s Bank.
Officer Warren Tanner spotted the Jeep as it made its way onto I-293 south.
New Hampshire State Police were notified and a trooper took up the pursuit. At 11:05 a.m., troopers working a construction detail attempted to stop the Jeep Grand Cherokee near Exit 5 on I-293.
“The Cherokee almost struck Trooper Doug Schack’s marked cruiser …” state police said in a news release, noting that when Schack turned on his lights and siren, the Jeep sped up.
“As the Cherokee accelerated through the construction zone, it almost sideswiped Trooper First Class Scott Tracy’s cruiser as well as passing extremely close to two construction workers,” police said.
The pursuit continued onto Everett Turnpike South, where troopers attempted to use spike strips just north of the Bedford tolls to stop the vehicle.
By now, Merrimack and Nashua police were notified of the pursuit, as well as Massachusetts State Police.
According to State Police, when the Cherokee exited the Everett Turnpike at the Exit 5-E off-ramp, Nashua officers gave chase.
“The vehicle was pursued through several Nashua streets,” state police said in the news release. “While being pursued, the Cherokee crashed into a parked vehicle on Pine Street and a short distance later backed up into a Nashua cruiser.”
State Police said they continued to pursue the Jeep until it crashed into a fence along a dirt section of 2nd Street and stopped a short distance later.
Police said Bally was not injured. According to the news release, police discovered a stash of what was believed to be methamphetamine when they searched Bally’s vehicle.
He is being charged in both Manchester and Nashua. State Police said Bally’s charges include four counts of felony reckless conduct, two counts of conduct after an accident, disobeying an officer, and a felony charge of possession of a controlled drug with intent to distribute.
Bally refused bail and was taken to Valley Street jail in Manchester. He is to be arraigned Tuesday morning in 9th Circuit-District Division in Manchester.
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