Hull police sergeant placed on leave, stripped of gun after alleged assault on man caught on camera

HULL, Mass. — A Hull Police Department sergeant has been placed on paid administrative leave after a video that recently surfaced appears to show him assaulting a 72-year-old man near a beach in Pembroke.

Sgt. Scott Saunders, an 18-year veteran of the force, was arrested by Pembroke police on a charge of assault and battery on a person over 60 after he allegedly attacked his neighbor, Harry Horsley, in the area of Furnace Pond on July 24.

“Upon learning of the incident and subsequent arrest, the Hull Police Department immediately placed Sgt. Saunders on leave pending the outcome of the case,” Hull Police Chief John Dunn said in a statement.

Dunn added that Saunders’ license to carry was also suspended, and his badge and service weapon were taken and secured.

Horlsey can be seen on the ground in the video and Saunders, who was off the clock at the time, is shown on top of the victim.

Horsley told Boston 25 News that Saunders struck his car with a paddleboard as he tried to pass in his car on a narrow street. Horsley said Saunders then pushed him down and punched him.

The Hull Police Department has also launched an internal affairs investigation regarding the alleged misconduct in Pembroke, and Chief Dunn has notified the Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission.

Saunders was hired by the Hull Police Department in December 2004 and has been a sergeant since 2019.

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