Transient Lakes Region Felon Faces Charges After Gun Threat Incident Against Concord Cops At I-93 Stop

CONCORD, NH — A felon with a lengthy criminal history was arrested on Thursday morning after being accused of threatening cops with a gun during a traffic stop on Interstate 93.

Just after 10:30 p.m., a Concord police officer stopped a vehicle on the northbound side of the highway near Mile Marker 39.2. An officer in the field asked for the exact location of the stop, and the first officer replied they were stopped just before Exit 16. The driver was a woman in her late 30s without identification.

Dispatch asked if there was a passenger in the vehicle who was a man, since the driver was a protected party. The officer confirmed there was a man in the vehicle. The man, later identified as Bruce Sanborn Jr., 54, provided a name and a birthdate suggesting he was in his early 60s, according to scanner chatter. Dispatch, however, said the name was not appearing in the system.

Around 10:45 p.m., a third officer radioed to check on the other officers’ progress during the stop.

One said, “We’re working through it right now.”

“Working through what?,” the other officer asked.

“Identities,” they said.

A few minutes later, a fourth officer asked if one of the men had a chain symbol tattoo on their neck. The officer said they did, on the right side. The other officer said it was definitely going to be the protected party. After checking the specifics about the protective order, one officer yelled out, “He has a gun.”

The officer requested more units after Sanborn was accused of jumping into the driver’s seat and driving away, according to scanner chatter. One officer accused Sanborn of pointing a gun at them and reported the woman was detained. She was given a courtesy ride later to police headquarters and was not charged.

The officer stated the rear bumper of the vehicle was also damaged and the gun was a small silver revolver. Another officer also confirmed the passenger was Sanborn and the protective order was active, according to radio traffic.

Officers began checking Exit 16 and Exit 17 to see if they could find the vehicle or Sanborn. Officers also checked the side of the highway to see if the suspect ditched the gun. They also tried to confirm whether the suspect was still living in the Lakes Region or was transient. Dispatch said they were last known to be transient.

When asked for a clothing description, the officer said Sanborn was wearing no shirt and had a blanket covering his lap. Later, an officer said he might have been wearing gray shorts and a white T-shirt.

Officers also checked Bog Road, the Sewalls Falls area, the Exit 2 I-89 Park and Ride, Hoit Road, the Hannah Dustin Park and Ride, the Turtle Pond area, and the hotels on Hall Street, looking for the suspect.

Just before 1 a.m., Concord police dispatch sent officers to the Circle K Irving in Bow and reported New Hampshire State Police troopers had found the vehicle involved in the early traffic stop and gun threat incident.

News 603 posted a video on Facebook.

Troopers believed the suspect was inside the store, dispatch said. A few minutes later, Sanborn was taken into custody.

“I just took a revolver out of his pocket,” one Concord officer said. “We’re under control here.”

The officer requested Bow fire and rescue teams to come and take a look at the suspect, and he was taken to Concord Hospital.

Concord police confirmed the identity of the driver to Patch Thursday morning. Charges will be released later today after he is arraigned in Concord District Court. State police charges will include felon in possession of a dangerous weapon, attempting to take a firearm from a law enforcement officer, and resisting arrest or detention.

According to superior court documents, Sanborn has several prior cases dating back to 2007.

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