Former Massachusetts State Trooper indicted after allegedly kicking a handcuffed suspect in the head

BOSTON – A former Massachusetts State Police trooper has been indicted in connection with a motor vehicle stop on Route 93 South in Boston, Attorney General Maura Healey announced today.

Paul Conneely, 51, of Boston, was indicted today by a Suffolk County Grand Jury on one count of Assault and Battery by Means of a Dangerous Weapon (shod foot). He will be arraigned on the charge in Suffolk Superior Court on Oct. 29.

The AG’s Office began an investigation after the matter was referred by the Massachusetts State Police. The AG’s Office alleges that on Feb. 22, 2019, then Trooper Conneely was on duty on Route 93 when he was involved in a motor vehicle stop of an alleged stolen car. Trooper Conneely was assigned to the State Police Barracks in Brighton and was working an emergency response post at the time of the incident.

During the course of the stop, Trooper Conneely’s car and the alleged stolen vehicle crashed into one another. Conneely and the other responding officers removed four individuals from the alleged stolen vehicle and Conneely assisted in handcuffing the driver.

The AG’s Office alleges that video surveillance from the incident shows that the driver exited the vehicle with his hands raised, laid down on the ground, and put his hands behind his back. According to the video, after the driver was handcuffed and lying unmoving, face down on the ground, Conneely raised his right foot and allegedly kicked the driver in the back of the head while wearing his Massachusetts State Police issued boots.