MANCHESTER, NH – A man with a meat cleaver in his pocket caught the attention of police officers on patrol, who were ready when the man allegedly swung the cleaver at another man, who got away unharmed.
At about 10:30 a.m. on November 19, 2021, officers patrolling the area of Lake Avenue and Union Street observed a man whose behavior immediately attracted their attention.
According to a police narrative, the man, later identified as Abishek Rasaily, 21, of Manchester, had his hood up and appeared angry and was walking at a fast pace down Union Street. He had a flat cardboard envelope in his pocket and there was a tan-colored handle protruding from the envelope, police said. Rasaily appeared to be following someone and on occasion would get off the sidewalk and stand behind a building or a car and peer out.
Concerned about what his intentions were, police continued to watch him and more police units were deployed.
In the area of 385 Union Street Rasaily quickly approached another male, pulled a large meat cleaver from his sweatshirt and started swinging it at the other person. The victim was able to avoid the knife and run into a nearby building.
Police approached Rasaily and gave commands for him to drop the knife. He eventually dropped the knife and police were able to take him into custody and secure the weapon.
Due to the serious nature of Rasaily’s actions, he was charged with attempted murder as well as breach of bail.