MAN WITH KNIFE TASERED BY COPS

Elyria – An Elyria man was tasered just after midnight Tuesday morning after a standoff with Elyria Police on West Ridge Road in front of the Convenient Food Mart.

Police were called initially to the area of the Pub bar next door to Convenient after the man’s daughter called reporting her 50 year old father had a knife and was suicidal. Police responding were also informed by the daughter that her father wanted to die by “suicide by cop.”

While responding Police Dispatchers contacted The Pub and Convenient instructing then to lock their doors immediately fearing the man may run inside once Officers arrived.

An employee of Marcos Pizza said she got to the door of Convenient just as it was locked and saw the man standing near the doors. “I saw him there looking around and I just said hi, what’s up? He looked at me and said “you should probably walk away.”

As the employee began walking away Police began arriving and ordered her away from the building for her safety.

Police surrounded the parking lot and began speaking with the man in an attempt to get him to give up.

During the negotiations Police requested help from the Lorain County Sheriff’s Department because they carry Tasers and Elyria Police do not. A special Bean Bag Gun was brought from the Police Station to the scene. LifeCare Paramedics were directed by Police to stage out of harm’s way behind the Convenient Store.

The distraught man kept asking Police to speak to his daughter. The Police assured him that she was there in the parking lot but told him they could not allow her to walk over to him due to him having the knife and suggesting that he had a gun on him as well.

The incident was brought to an end when the man put the knife to his chest and was getting closer to Officers a Deputy fired the Taser. The man fell to the ground immediately and was then subdued by Officers. The knife was taken away from the man and LifeCare Paramedics were brought in to begin evaluating the man.

With a Police escort the uninjured man was taken by LifeCare to Elyria Memorial Hospital for psychiatric evaluation.

Employees from surrounding stores said the entire ordeal lasted less than one hour and praised the efforts of the Police and Deputies for bringing the situation to a successful end.


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