Laconia Man Accused Of Biting Concord Officer, Grabbing Onto Gun

CONCORD, NH — A felon from Laconia, with a parole warrant, was accused of biting one Concord police officer and reaching for another officer’s handgun during an incident on Nov. 5 on Fisherville Road.

Around 5 a.m., officers and Concord fire and rescue teams were sent to an apartment at 81 Fisherville Road for a report of a man who was not conscious or breathing.

When they arrived at the apartment, they made contact with Andrew Mitza, 32, of Prescott Avenue in Laconia, who was the only person in the apartment. He was “alert and conscious,” but “sweating profusely” and had “random spasms” and his eyes were dilated, according to an affidavit. It was presumed Mitza was under the influence of methamphetamine, based on his reactions, the report stated.

Dispatch said Mitza was wanted on a no-bail parole violation warrant after being convicted on a reckless conduct deadly weapon charge issued by the state in mid-October. Officers were also warned to use caution with Mitza due to his “assaultive” behavior and “validated member with the Brotherhood of White Warriors gang” status, an affidavit stated. Based on the information, the officer cuffed Mitza while waiting to hear if the warrant was confirmed. After confirmation, Mitza was walked out of the apartment to the officer’s police cruiser. Once there, the officer accused him of pulling away, during which a hand slipped out of the handcuff, the officer wrote.

“Andrew then swung his left hand, which was clenched into a fist, toward me,” the officer wrote. “Andrew struck me with his left fist on my left shoulder.”

This caused the officer to release Mitza and he fled the area through the parking lot of the apartment complex, the report said.

The officer radioed for assistance as Mitza was accused of running south on Fisherville Road and then, jumping on the hood of a Toyota that stopped before striking him in the middle of the street. Mitza slipped and fell onto the road, the officer wrote. The officer drew their Taser and ordered Mitza to stop while he was on the ground. He, however, got up and continued running, the officer said, and was Tased for about five seconds.

The officer accused Mitza of getting up off the ground, forming fists to threaten the officer, “growling and yelling obscenities,” and then fleeing again. The officer said Mitza was warned he would be Tased again if he did not stop running. When he refused, Mitza was Tased again, the report said.

“It should be noted that I yelled ‘Taser, Taser, Taser,’” the officer wrote, “before deploying my Taser each time.”

The officer attempted to place Mitza in handcuffs again but he was accused of struggling and was Tased a third time, the officer said.

While attempting to get underneath his armpits, to prevent him from centering his arms on his chest, Mitza bit the officer’s left forearm, the report stated. The officer said he kneed Mitza three times in an effort to get him to stop biting, they wrote. After being struck in the right side of his head, Mitza stopped biting the officer, the affidavit stated.

At this point, a second officer and sergeant arrived to assist and while trying to get him into handcuffs, the officer accused Mitza of reaching for their handgun and grabbing onto their arm and wrist, the affidavit stated. He was ordered to stop and officers contained him, the report stated. Later, the second officer told the reporting officer Mitza had “a tight grip on his firearm” and was given “multiple commands to let go of his firearm,” the affidavit stated.

Mitza was taken to Concord Hospital by EMTs. He was charged with a felony attempt to disarm a law enforcement officer charge as well as resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, criminal mischief, and two simple assault charges. Mitza was arraigned in Merrimack County Superior Court on Nov. 5 and an evidentiary hearing was held on Dec. 22. A plea and sentencing hearing is booked for Jan. 31, 2022.

Mitza, according to superior court records, has a number of prior crimes.

Mitza pleaded guilty to felony assault by a prisoner and witness tampering charges after an incident in Laconia in July 2015. In Concord in March 2018, he was arrested on possession of a controlled/narcotic drug-methamphetamine with intent to distribute, reckless conduct; place another in danger, and resisting arrest or detention at the Walmart on Loudon Road after police were called to the parking lot for a report of two people passed out in a car with a child in a backseat. He later pleaded guilty to controlled drug: acts prohibited and penalty for an offense committed while on bail charges. Mitza also pleaded guilty to reckless conduct, two drug possession, and resisting charges in September 2018 after an incident in Concord. He pleaded guilty to felony reckless conduct as well as criminal mischief and disobeying an officer charges out of Allenstown from October 2018 in January 2019. A month later, Mitza pleaded guilty to a felony drug possession charge out of Littleton from April 2017. He was also convicted on a violation of probation charge.

Editor's note: This post was derived from information supplied by the Concord Police Department and does not indicate a conviction. This link explains the removal request process for New Hampshire Patch police reports.

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