Hull police officer charged after alleged assault of 72-year-old neighbor caught on video

A Hull police sergeant is on leave after allegedly assaulting his 72-year-old neighbor while off-duty, an incident captured on video and shared widely online.

Sgt. Scott Saunders is charged with assault and battery on a person over the age of 60 in connection with last month’s alleged attack, which happened in Pembroke. He was arrested July 24.

The neighbor, Harry Horsley, told Boston 25 News he was driving home and passed Saunders carrying a paddleboard. As he drove by, Horsley claimed Saunders hit his car with the board. 

He told the news outlet that when he got out to confront Saunders, their interaction turned violent.

“He bull-rushed me down to the ground. Landed on top of me, I’m on my back. He pounded away, I’m like this trying to protect myself from getting hit worse,” Horsley told Boston 25 News. 

Saunders told police that he struck the car because Horsley previously hadn’t given him enough room on the road to walk by while carrying his paddleboard, the news outlet reported. 

He also told Pembroke police that Horsley raised his hands first, according to NBC10 Boston. 

Saunders was released on personal recognizance and is due back in court on Sept. 7, according to the Plymouth District Court clerk’s office. He did not return a request for comment Thursday. 

Hull Police Chief John Dunn told Boston.com in an email that Saunders has been placed on administrative leave and will remain on leave pending the outcome of his court case and an internal affairs investigation. In a Thursday press release, the department also noted that Saunders’s badge and service weapon were taken and secured, and his license to carry was suspended.

Dunn said he’s notified the Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission, which oversees the processes to decertify, suspend, or reprimand officers for certain misconduct. State law calls on the commission to suspend officers who are arrested, charged, or indicted for a felony. 

Saunders’s name does not appear on the commission’s list of suspended officers, which hasn’t been updated since June 20.

Horsley told Boston 25 News that the incident left him bloodied and bruised.

“He should have known that everything he has done, was wrong,” he told the news outlet. “You don’t assault somebody that’s a senior. You just don’t do it; it’s unheard of.”

Abby Patkin

Staff Writer

Abby Patkin is a general assignment news reporter whose work touches on public transit, crime, health, and everything in between.

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