Man Arrested for Breaking into Church and Assaulting K9 and Officers

On November 13, 2023, at approximately 9 PM, Manchester Police responded to Our Lady of the Cedars Church on Mitchell Street for a burglar alarm activation.

The first officer to arrive saw someone banging on a window from the inside and immediately called more officers for assistance.

As more officers arrived, the person inside, later identified as Paul Lopez, 36 of Manchester, could be heard screaming. Officers identified themselves and made numerous PA announcements ordering him to come outside, but Lopez did not comply.

Officers called for K9 support and a New Hampshire State Trooper arrived with a dog. Lopez was given warnings that the dog was present, but he continued to yell and shout expletives, refusing to exit the building. The K9 was deployed, but Lopez was able to grab the dog and began to strangle the animal. Officers were eventually able to take Lopez into custody after significant difficulty which led to one officer being seriously bitten by Lopez and an officer and trooper also being assaulted by him.

Lopez was charged with Burglary, Second Degree Assault, Simple Assault, Animal Cruelty – Police Dogs or Horses, Resisting Arrest/Detention Serious Bodily Injury, and Resisting Arrest.