MANCHESTER, N.H. (WHDH) - An attempt to break into a church in Manchester, NH ended with a suspect allegedly trying to strangle a K9 before assaulting three officers, biting one in the process, according to police.
The Manchester Police Department said Paul Lopez, 36, was taken into custody Monday night after officers and state police were called to Mitchell Street.
Authorities were initially responding to Our Lady of the Cedars Church for a burglar alarm activation when they came across Lopez, who an officer saw “banging on a window from the inside.”
Manchester PD said that as more officers arrived at the scene, Lopez could be heard screaming. He also allegedly refused to comply with police when they attempted to order him outside.
Over the course of the incident, the department said a state police K9 was called in, which Lopez allegedly responded to by continuing to yell, all while remaining inside the building.
According to a news release, when the K9 was deployed, the 36-year-old Manchester resident “was able to grab the dog and began to strangle the animal.”
Police said Lopez was eventually taken into custody, but not before an officer was seriously bitten by the suspect, while another officer and a state trooper were assaulted by him.
Lopez now faces the following charges:
- Burglary
- Second Degree Assault
- Simple Assault
- Animal Cruelty – Police Dogs or Horses
- Resisting Arrest
- Resisting Arrest/Detention Serious Bodily Injury
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