Springfield police arrest city man for allegedly assaulting woman, tussling with police dog

Manuel Sala, 26, of 862 Worthington St. was charged with assault and other offenses in connection with a Saturday morning domestic incident at a Worthington Street apartment building, according to Springfield police. (Springfield Police Department)

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SPRINGFIELD - A city man assaulted a woman and tore off a police dog's collar after the dog found him hiding in bushes off Worthington Street, police said.
Manuel Sala, 26, of 862 Worthington St. was charged with domestic assault and battery, mistreating a police dog, resisting arrest and malicious property damage in connection with a Saturday morning disturbance at 866 Worthington St., according to Sgt. John Delaney, spokesman for Springfield Police Commissioner William Fitchet.
The incident stemmed from an apparent domestic incident with a woman, who was found at the scene with torn clothing and other signs of distress, police said. Authorities did not indicate her relationship to Sala, who was expected to be arraigned Monday in Springfield District Court. The outcome of that hearing was not immediately known.
According to police records, officers Scott Stelzer, Matthew Longo and Danny Huard took Sala into custody around 4:50 a.m. at the Worthington Street address, where they discovered a smashed air-conditioner in the street and a ransacked first-floor apartment.
Sala fled the scene, but Stelzer and his police dog, Blek, quickly located the suspect hiding in some thick bushes. After Sala refused to exit his hiding spot, Blek went in after him. That's when Sala fought with the dog and tore off its collar, according to authorities.
"The fight did not last long and the officers were able to get (Sala) out of the bushes," Delaney said. Sala then proceeded to fight with the officers, Delaney said.
According to city records, Norwell-based Worthington Commons LP owns 866 Worthington St., located at the corner of Worthington and Summit streets in the Metro Center neighborhood. The address is where the body of JoAnn Thomas, a victim of convicted serial killer Alfred Gaynor, was found in November 1997.
http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2013/07/springfield_police_city_man_as.html

The dreg looks pretty good considering the events but it won't stop him for filing for SSDI, that is, if he's not already collecting. Nice job, SPD!



K9 Blek