Hull Police Sgt. Scott Saunders has been placed on paid administrative leave after being arrested in Pembroke for assaulting a 72-year-old neighbor on July 24.

Hull POLICE SGT. SCOTT SAUNDERS IN 2014. [FILE PHOTO]

In an interview with Boston 25 News, Harry Horlsey said that Saunders hit his car with a paddleboard as he tried to pass him on a narrow street, then pushed him to the ground and punched him. A video published on the news station’s website showed Horsley on the ground and Saunders on top of him.

Saunders, 46, was charged with assault and battery on a person over 60 with injury. After his arraignment, he was released on personal recognizance and ordered to stay away from the victim.

Hull Police Chief John Dunn said that Saunders was put on leave, his firearms license was suspended, and his badge was taken. Hull Police also launched an internal affairs investigation.

Saunders was hired by the Hull Police Department in December 2004 and has been a sergeant since 2019.

In 2014, Saunders was accused in a lawsuit of using “unreasonable and unexcused force” in tackling and seriously injuring a 16-year-old boy while on duty. The youth was part of a group of kids being moved along from the beach 2010, although no arrests were made during the incident. A Boston jury found that Saunders did not violate the boy’s civil rights and rejected his claim of $1 million in damages in the suit.