Hingham cop on leave after DA says he yelled racial slurs, pointed gun at driver

The Patriot Ledger
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STONEHAM – A Hingham police officer is accused of brandishing a gun and using racial slurs during an altercation in Stoneham.

Hingham police officer Joel Salituri, 43, of Stoneham, was arraigned in Woburn District Court on April 27 after an altercation in December with a Stoneham man on Main Street. He faces a charge of assault with a dangerous weapon, the Middlesex County district attorney's office says.

The accuser and Salituri were driving on Interstate 93 north when they both left the highway at about 5 p.m. Dec. 26, 2022, a statement from the DA's office said. After they got off the highway, Salituri allegedly followed the man until he pulled over into a parking lot on Main Street.

"The defendant then pulled up alongside the victim and began yelling at the victim and making derogatory statements while brandishing a firearm. The victim also reported that the defendant stated he was a police officer. The defendant was not on duty at the time," the statement reads. "The victim reported the incident to police and a criminal complaint for the charge of assault with a dangerous weapon was issued after probable cause was found at a show cause hearing."

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Salituri was released on personal recognizance and ordered to stay away from and have not contact with his accuser. The Hingham Police Department placed him on paid administrative leave.

"Any threat of violence against a member of a marginalized community by any officer goes against our core values and standards that we are bound to uphold as a professional law enforcement agency," Hingham Police Chief David Jones said in a statement. "Any allegations of misconduct by a member of our agency will be taken seriously and investigated fairly and thoroughly. We are committed to being open and transparent during this and any other internal investigation."

More charges are possible, the DA's statement said. The next court date is May 24.

Salituri was named a school resource officer at Notre Dame Academy in Hingham. The school moved to private security in 2021.

In an unrelated case, Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan also announced that a former Hopkinton deputy police chief and school resource officer is accused of repeatedly raping a student.

John “Jay” Porter, 54, was indicted by a Middlesex County grand jury on three charges of rape of a child in connection with allegedly assaulting a student while he was assigned as a school resource officer in the Hopkinton school system.

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This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Hingham cop Joel Salituri charged with assault, placed on leave