A 19-year-old Falmouth man is facing a long list of criminal charges after police say he grabbed and partially pulled an officer's gun from its holster during a struggle in Seekonk, and the weapon fired during the scuffle. No one was hit by the bullet, but the incident has left Nathaniel Cronin charged with attempting to disarm a police officer, among more than a dozen other counts stemming from a motorcycle crash and its chaotic aftermath.
According to Boston 25 News, Seekonk police were called to a car crash involving a motorcycle Thursday. Police say Cronin was riding the motorcycle involved in the wreck and, once officers and emergency crews arrived, tried to run from the scene.
Police say what followed was a physical struggle to arrest Cronin, during which he allegedly grabbed an officer's gun and partially removed it from its holster. The gun went off during the alleged struggle, but the outlet's report notes that the bullet did not strike anyone. Officers ultimately subdued Cronin and took him into custody.
A Cascade of Charges Beyond the Gun Struggle
The most serious charge Cronin faces is assault and battery with intent to disarm a police officer, a felony under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 265, Section 13D. That statute makes attempting to disarm an officer performing their duties punishable by up to 10 years in state prison or up to 2.5 years in a house of correction, along with potential fines, according to the Massachusetts Legislature. He also faces two counts of assault and battery on a police officer, a related but lesser charge that carries a statutory penalty of 90 days to 2.5 years in a house of correction, or a fine ranging from $500 to $5,000, per the same law.
Cronin also faces a charge of discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling, tied to the moment the officer's gun fired during the struggle. Under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 269, Section 12E, unauthorized firearm discharge near a building is treated as its own distinct offense — state safety officials have tracked more than 500 such charges statewide over a recorded two-year period, according to the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security.
The charges do not stop there. Cronin is also accused of leaving the scene of the crash, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace, providing a false name to a police officer, vandalizing property, trespassing, and attempted assault and battery by discharging a firearm. On the traffic side, he faces charges of operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license, operating an uninsured and unregistered motor vehicle, and attaching a wrong motor vehicle plate.
Local Jurisdiction and Regional Legal Context
Seekonk, a Bristol County town of roughly 15,531 residents that sits along the Rhode Island border, routes its criminal proceedings to Taunton District Court for arraignments and hearings, according to Urbelis Law. That border-town positioning has drawn added attention to the case given a recent shift in regional law: in June, lawmakers in neighboring Rhode Island passed legislation classifying any attempt to disarm a law enforcement officer as a state felony punishable by up to five years in prison, per the Rhode Island General Assembly.
The Seekonk Police Department, which handled the arrest, operates under Police Chief David Enos Jr., according to the Town of Seekonk. The department expanded its ranks last year, swearing in five new officers in July 2025 after they graduated from the Massachusetts State Police Academy, as reported by Reporter Today.
A Struggle That Fits a Troubling National Pattern
Cronin's case lands amid broader trends in officer safety nationally. FBI Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted data show firearm-related assaults against police officers hit a 10-year high in 2023, with 466 reported firearm assault incidents nationwide that year, according to the Associated Press. Separate FBI statistics found that assaults on officers involving weapons rose 10.5% in a single year, while officer injuries from assaults climbed 18.3% over the same span.
Arrest attempts specifically account for a substantial share of the danger officers face: roughly 16.1% of all physical assaults on police officers occur while they are actively trying to make an arrest, per Homeland Security Today. That statistic underscores just how volatile the moments following a crash response can become once a suspect resists or attempts to flee.
It remains to be seen how Cronin will be arraigned in Taunton District Court or what bail conditions may be set. Boston 25 News has not indicated whether additional charges could still be filed as the investigation continues.
.jpg){kind=link}