A Franklin man who surrendered early Saturday after a three-day manhunt had threatened to shoot police and kill anyone who tried to arrest him, according to court documents.
Police say Ryan P. Brouillard, 33, was armed with a pistol when they descended on the home at 320 Prospect St. in Franklin on Dec. 28, and tried to arrest him on warrants issued by the Plymouth Police Department and the state’s probation and parole office.
Brouillard was arraigned Tuesday morning in Franklin’s district court on two felony counts of criminal threatening, and one count each of reckless conduct of being a convicted felon in possession of a dangerous weapon, and of driving after being deemed a habitual offender of motor vehicle laws. He also faces a misdemeanor count of resisting arrest.
During the standoff on Prospect Street, Brouillard is accused of pointing a handgun at Tilton police Officer Abraham Gilman and at Franklin police Sgt. Eric Drouin. He is also accused of firing the gun in close proximity to Drouin before fleeing the Franklin residence. No one was injured in the incident.
Brouillard eluded police until Saturday morning when more than 20 police officers and two armored BearCat vehicles surrounded a house off Manchester Street in Concord and used tear gas to force him out. Police went there on information from the U.S. Marshals Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, who aided in the manhunt, according to Franklin police Chief David Goldstein.
In court, Franklin Police Department prosecutor Chris Ahern called Brouillard a danger to the community and a flight risk. He recommended a high cash bail given the unique circumstances of the case and Brouillard’s lengthy criminal history, which dates back to 2002.
Judge Edward Gordon ordered Brouillard held at the Merrimack County jail in Boscawen for lack of $251,000 bail.
Brouillard was arraigned via video from the county jail where he’s been incarcerated since Saturday. The court had not appointed him an attorney by the time of the hearing.
Court documents available Tuesday shed further light on the circumstances that led to Brouillard’s arrest, which police had previously spoken little about.
In the early-morning hours of Dec. 28, Franklin police had initially responded to 31 Pleasant St. in the city for a report of a noise complaint, according to the affidavit prepared by Drouin. A woman there told police that Brouillard had just left the residence with Alexander Bell.
Approximately 12 minutes later, officers spotted Brouillard inside Bell’s home at 320 Prospect St., and called for backup. Police observed the activity in the home for a short time before Brouillard opened the front door and looked out. That’s when Drouin moved in with his flashlight and pistol, both aimed at Brouillard, and ordered him to put his hands up. Brouillard retreated back inside.
Franklin police Officer David Gotthardt reported that Brouillard then tried to exit through the back of the residence, where he had ordered Brouillard to the ground. When Brouillard refused, Gotthardt used his Taser, which was ineffective, and Brouillard went back in the house, the affidavit says.
As police tried to get other people inside the home to exit, Drouin said he next heard Officer Gilman “yell something to the effect of ‘show me your hands and drop the gun.’ ”
In response, Drouin made his way back to the driveway, where he observed Brouillard standing at the front door with something in his right hand. Brouillard was carrying a Glock pistol which he proceeded to aim at Drouin, the affidavit says. Brouillard threatened to shoot police and, once again, retreated back into the home, Drouin said.
When Brouillard returned outside, he continued to aim the pistol while defying officers’ orders, according to the affidavit.
Drouin wrote, “As I lined up my sights with Brouillard and began to pull the trigger on my service pistol, I observed Bell walk into my line of fire. I was unable to fire my service weapon to end the threat.”
Police say Bell pushed Brouillard back into the home a final time before Brouillard escaped out the back and jumped a white picket fence. On his departure, he fired a single shot, the affidavit says.
Brouillard was on the run for three days before police caught up with him early Saturday morning at 190 Manchester St. in Concord.
New Hampshire State Police, whose agency assisted in the manhunt, released helicopter video Tuesday afternoon of Brouillard’s surrender Saturday at 4:30 a.m. State police said they released the video to demonstrate how the technology was effective in helping apprehend Brouillard.
The video shows a snow-covered mobile home with several armed officers in SWAT gear positioned out front near a BearCat. Brouillard is seen walking in the direction of police with his hands in the air. He keeps his hands visible as he falls to the ground on both knees, which allows police to move in and apply handcuffs.
The arrest brought to an end a major law enforcement effort that included assistance from the FBI, as well as state and local police departments including Boscawen, Bristol, Alexandria and Danbury.
Brouillard is next scheduled to appear in Franklin’s district court Feb. 9 for a probable cause hearing.
(Alyssa Dandrea can be reached at 369-3319, adandrea@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @_ADandrea.)