Lane B. Lesko’s flight from police came to a stop when the stolen BMW he was driving was forced off the road by a spike strip.
Lesko, diagnosed with bipolar disorder and likely in the midst of a manic episode, was unwilling to surrender. Three police officers – one a state trooper – had boxed him in on Route 136 near Sunnyfield Farm in Peterborough. Lesko brandished a BB gun that looked like a handgun, and shouted at the officers: “Kill me. Shoot me.”
When he fired the BB gun and advanced on officers, Greenfield Police Chief Brian Giammarino fired four times, ultimately killing Lesko with a single shot to the neck.
A report released Wednesday by the Attorney General’s office sheds some light on the events of June 21.
Lesko, 19, of Ann Arbor, Michigan, had been on a “two-day crime spree” when he was shot and killed, according to the attorney general’s investigation report. Since he had fled a residential treatment center in Maine, Lesko was allegedly involved with four car thefts, one in which he forced out the driver at gunpoint, as well as other erratic behaviors reported to police.
Lesko had run away from Summit Achievement, a Stow, Maine-based residential program for youths with behavioral issues. Successful completion of the camp’s program was a condition of Lesko being considered for an adolescent sentencing program in Michigan for multiple charges, including stealing a car and breaking into a neighbor’s home and impersonating a police officer.
Lesko left the camp in the middle of the night on June 19, where police believe that he stole a canoe and pontoon boat to travel across the lake, and later stole a pick up truck, using it to leave the area.
On June 20, Lesko stole a Dodge Charger from Berlin City Auto Group in Portland, Maine, after taking it for a test drive. He drove the car into New Hampshire, ending up in Milford. At around 2 a.m. on June 21, Milford police received a report that Lesko had been harassing and threatening another man by circling him with the Charger in a parking lot, parking next to him and staring at him for 10 minutes, and then following him when the man attempted to drive away, according to the Attorney General’s report. The man eventually evaded Lesko but encountered him again later on, where the man and a store clerk noticed that Lesko was wearing what appeared to be a gun on his hip, and allegedly heard Lesko yell, “I’m a federal agent and I demand more respect.”
Shortly after the harassment report, a Milford police officer spotted Lesko in the Charger and pursued him, but Lesko refused to stop and fled, the report said. Police again spotted Lesko a short time later, and Lesko abandoned the stolen car on a dead-end street and fled on foot.
A few hours later, Lesko allegedly stole a tow truck from Kent’s Service Station in Milford and used it to drive to the Nashua Used Car Superstore in Nashua at about 8:30 a.m.
Lesko reportedly told a salesperson at the store that he was from Michigan and worked for the government, and wanted to test drive a used BMW. Lesko told the salesperson that his phone and wallet were in his Dodge Charger, which was being repaired at Kent’s Service Station, and that Kent’s had allowed him to use their tow truck while his car was being repaired.
Since Lesko did not have any identification with him, his request to test drive was refused, but a salesperson agreed to drive him back to Kent’s so he could get his ID and do a test drive.
As Lesko and the saleswoman were driving into Milford, he asked her to stop twice, once to use the bathroom and once at a Subway. While at Subway, Lesko asked the saleswoman if she had ever heard of a “Chinese fire drill” – a game where a car’s passengers get out of a stopped car, and run around it to switch seats. She said she did not know the game, and Lesko asked her to switch seats so that he could drive, but the saleswoman refused and continued driving to Kent’s Service Station.
As she was driving, Lesko allegedly admitted to her that his wallet and ID were not at the garage, but “were probably at a police station,” and told her it was “in her best interest” to keep driving and pulled out what appeared to be a gun, holding it on his left thigh, pointing it at the steering wheel. The gun was later discovered to be a BB gun modeled to look like a small-caliber handgun.
A short time later, Lesko allegedly told the woman to pull into the parking lot at the Agway store, and asked her again if she remembered the Chinese fire drill and told her to get out of the car.
He allegedly initially tried to steal her purse, but ultimately allowed her to keep it, and told her, “I’m really sorry. I’m going to need you to run.”
The woman ran into the Agway and called 911, resulting in police putting out a be on the lookout alert for a BMW that had been stolen by a man with a gun.
While on patrol, Greenfield Police Chief Brian Giammarino heard the Be On the Lookout broadcast, and as he was driving through Greenfield, he saw a car matching the description of the stolen vehicle.
Giammarino pursued the BMW with his lights and siren on through town on Route 31. During the chase, the car allegedly accelerated to around 80 mph and drove recklessly passed other cars.
New Hampshire Trooper Scott Tracy had just gotten off duty and arrived home at about 10 a.m. when he heard a police siren go by. Aware of the BOLO alert for an armed and dangerous suspect, Tracy got into his cruiser and headed toward Route 136.
Peterborough Police Corporal Craig Edsall heard the pursuit on his radio and started driving toward Route 136, and used his vehicle to block the eastbound land and set up spike strips in the other lane.
Lesko’s car swerved to avoid the strips, but still caught one of the rear tires, causing him to go off the road and come to a stop. Police ordered Lesko to exit the vehicle with his hands up. Lesko stepped out of the car by the rear passenger side of the BMW but did not show his hands and was moving back and forth behind the car, and occasionally would shout words to the effect of “Shoot me. Kill me.”
Tracy arrived shortly after Lesko had exited his vehicle.
Lesko was not armed when he initially exited the vehicle, but allegedly ducked back into the BMW and emerged with a Umarex XBG BB gun.
Still shouting for police to kill him, Lesko allegedly pointed the gun at Giammarino and fired it several times, twice at Giammarino and once at Tracy.
The sound of the gun was muffled, and Edsall said that he did not see any muzzle flash or smoke from Lesko’s gun.
In his statement, Tracy said the noise from the gun sounded like a .22 caliber gun or his son’s BB gun, and the projectile that went by Tracy did not sound like a bullet.
Tracy yelled “It’s Airsoft!” – a type of replica firearm used to fire non-lethal pellets – which was heard by Edsall. In his statement, Giammarino said that he did not hear Tracy’s shout, or indeed, even know that Tracy had arrived on scene until after the incident was over.
Lesko, after firing three shots, advanced on Giammarino’s cruiser and appeared to be trying to go around the front of it toward Giammarino. Giammarino fired his weapon four times and Lesko fell to the ground.
In addition to the three officers on scene, two drivers on the road were also witnesses during the shooting.
Alvin Van Cleave was driving on Route 136 headed to Peterborough when he was waived to the side of the road by Edsall laying out the spike strip. A few seconds later, Van Cleave saw the BMW driven by Lesko coming down the road with Giammarino in pursuit.
After Lesko hit the spike strip, his car came to a stop about 100 feet behind Van Cleave’s parking spot.
Van Cleave heard Lesko yelling something at the officers, but said he could not make out the words.
Van Cleave heard two light “pop” sounds, but were unsure if they were gunshots, the sounds made by a pellet gun, or a .22 caliber gun. He then saw Lesko move towards Giammarino and Edsall and heard the shots fired and saw Lesko fall to the ground.
Cynthia West was driving on Route 136 and pulled over to allow the police chase to pass her, and later came upon the standoff as it was in progress. West reported seeing Lesko walk up onto the road very slowly and holding a pistol “military style,” with both hands holding the pistol in front, and that he walked purposefully toward the officers.
West could hear police shouting directives at Lesko, but did not hear Lesko say anything. She then lost sight of Lesko and heard several gunshots, after which Lesko was on the ground.
An officer who appeared visibly shaken approached West asking her to wait in the area. Van Cleave reported that officers were consoling another officer that “was bent over, visibly upset, and appeared almost physically ill.”
None of the police officers were equipped with body cameras. Tracy’s cruiser was equipped with a front-facing camera, but a technical malfunction resulted in corrupt data.