Staff Writer
NORTHAMPTON — Northampton police arrested a city man Monday after he allegedly made threats of getting a gun to shoot two police officers working a detail.
Police allege Joseph Connor, 32, made the threats on Saturday, and on Monday, obtained an arrest warrant for Connor.
When police found Connor and attempted to arrest him, Connor “was able to get into his vehicle and took off at a high rate of speed,” police reported on the department’s Facebook page. Connor was later stopped on Interstate 91 by Massachusetts State Police and placed under arrest.
Connor was arraigned on Tuesday in Northampton District Court on two counts of threats to commit murder, failure to stop for police, reckless operation of a motor vehicle and speeding. He was arrested on I-91, near the Whately and North Hatfield town lines, according to police.
“(Connor’s) threat seemed a little more serious and intense and unprovoked,” Northampton police Officer Justin Hooten said. “He approached those two officers working the detail and it seemed feasible to those officers.”
Connor is being held in jail until his pretrial hearing, scheduled for June 15.
Luis Fieldman can be reached at lfieldman@gazettenet.com.