Cops Use Surveillance Video To Track Down Nashua Robbery Suspect

NASHUA, NH — A Nashua felon is facing more felony charges after an armed robbery on West Pearl Street on Friday and an assault incident at an apartment on Monday.

Around 8 a.m. on Jan. 8, officers were sent to a hair salon for a report of an armed robbery. The woman who owned the business said she was cutting the hair of a client when she saw a man walking past her shop and then, return and enter her business. The man, a detective wrote in an affidavit, requested to use a phone. When he was told there was no phone available to him, the man said, "Give me all your money," while "holding a black kitchen style knife with a serrated blade."

The shopkeeper feared for herself and the client so she removed money from her bag, about $200, and gave it to the man who then fled the area. Both the customer and the store owner gave a description of the man. Investigators also spoke to the landlord of the building who saw the suspect walking back and forth around the building. He also spoke with the business owner after the robbery and shared a description with police.

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Detectives viewed video surveillance footage from cameras at a number of locations around the business which captured "the suspect's face structure" — including footage after he had pulled off his mask. The photos were distributed inside the police department and an officer recognized the suspect to be Manuel Escamilla, 28, Roedean Drive in Nashua, noting that he had "numerous contacts" with him during his eight-year career with the force.

A detective searched call history and found a possible apartment on Chestnut Street where Escamilla often frequented, the affidavit said.

On Monday, officers made contact with Escamilla after leaving the Chestnut Street building and asked him to meet with police but he refused, the report said. They noted in the report that he bore a "strong resemblance" to the suspect's photos.

Later, police were sent to Roedean Drive for a report of a disturbance between Escamilla and others which led to him being arrested on simple assault, criminal threatening, criminal mischief, and resisting arrest or detention charges. The victim and a witness at that incident were shown photos from the surveillance footage and they confirmed it was him and that he owned the clothes and boots seen in the pictures. They also accused him of being on and off drugs, the report stated.

A warrant for the apartment was requested and during a search, police said they found all of the clothing and boots matching what the robbery suspect was wearing at the time of the incident, according to an affidavit.

At the Valley Street Jail, Escamilla was charged with armed robbery and felon in possession of a dangerous weapon, both felonies.

Escamilla was previously convicted on a felony robbery charge in 2011 after a threat and robbery incident in Hudson in November 2010, according to superior court documents. He was found guilty on felon in possession of dangerous weapon and possession of controlled drug charges during two separate incidents in Manchester in June 2013. During one of those incidents, he was accused of second-degree assault but that charge was dropped as part of a plea deal. Witness tampering charges against him in 2016 were also dropped but he was convicted in May 2017 on simple assault and resisting arrest or detention charges after an incident in Nashua.

Editor's note: This post was derived from information supplied by the Nashua 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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