BEVERLY, Mass. -- Two patrol officers forced their way into a Winthrop Street residence to arrest a man they said was trying to choke the woman he was apparently dating.

Officers David Richardson and David LeBlanc arrested Gregory DiGiovanni, 21, of 21 Forest St., Manchester, yesterday at 5 p.m. after entering the home and finding the woman with her face down on the bed and DiGiovanni on top of her with both hands on her throat, said Sgt. Lawrence Van Liere.

DiGiovanni was shaking the woman up and down and strangling her, Van Liere said.

DiGiovanni has been charged with domestic assault and battery, threats to kill and attempted murder, the sergeant said.

Van Liere said police received an emergency call from a Winthrop Street neighbor, saying that a woman was crying outside and appeared to be beaten up.

The two officers responded to the call but did not initially find the woman, the sergeant said.

From an open window, Richardson and LeBlanc overheard a man say, "I'm going to take you out. Tell me the truth!"

The officers also heard a woman "crying forcibly," Van Liere said.

The sergeant said the two patrolmen made a split-second decision to enter the house without knocking because of their concern for the woman's safety.

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