MANCHESTER, NH — A combative man accused of threatening a neighbor with a knife at the Cadillac Motel was eventually arrested and charged with injuring police officers, who were called on to settle the initial dispute between motel neighbors.
On Dec. 18, 2016 at 10:35 p.m. police responded to the Cadillac Motel for a reported fight involving a knife. Officers spoke with the victim, a 45-year-old man who resides in a second-floor apartment.
The victim told police that he and his wife heard a disturbance across the hall, so he opened his apartment door and yelled at the man and woman inside of a neighboring apartment. He asked them to quiet down or to take the disturbance outside of the densely-populated apartment complex. The unruly man, who was not known to the victim, approached the victim with a knife and threatened to kill him, so the victim went back into his apartment and secured the door before calling police.
Police located Gerson Munoz Benitez, 30, of Bedford, outside of the apartment house. Several officers spoke with him while one of the officers spoke with the victim. The officers determined Munoz Benitez had threatened the victim, so they attempted to place him into custody. But Munoz Benitez pulled away from the arresting officer and allegedly made a fist with his free hand. Additional officers immediately intervened to assist with the Munoz Benitez, who was described by police as combative.
He continued resisting by kicking Officer Kyle Daly and punching Officer Andrew Choi as he was transitioned to the ground. His actions caused Officer Matthew McDonald to sustain a serious knee injury. Officer Choi and Daly returned to duty after the assault, but Officer McDonald was treated at a local hospital for his injury.
Munoz Benitez continued to threaten the officers as they placed him into custody. He was charged with: criminal threatening (felony), two counts simple assault; second-degree assault (felony); resisting arrest/detention (misdemeanor); and criminal threatening (misdemeanor). He was schedules to appear in the 9th Circuit Court-Manchester on December 19, 2016.
