Marshall Man with a Knife Stopped by Police with a Bean Bag Gun

A Marshall man, determined to commit suicide by cop, was safely taken into custody on Wednesday night.  After efforts to talk the armed 36-year old into giving up failed, a deputy used a beanbag gun to subdue the armed man as he came toward officers with a large knife.

Sgt. Tim Howell of the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Department said in a release that it started about 9 pm on Wednesday (April 21^st), when a man called police dispatch, saying he was suicidal and wanted to be killed by police.  Officers called him back and tried to reason with him but to no avail.  When he kept calling dispatch and began threatening to start harming other innocent people, Sheriff’s Deputies and State Police headed to the home in the 200 Block of West Drive North in Marshall.

Sgt. Howell said that mental health workers from Summit Pointe tried to talk to the man but he refused any help and continued to threaten to harm innocent people to force a confrontation with Law Enforcement officers.

“Since the individual was highly agitated and in a densely populated area with easy access to many innocent bystanders, a Sheriff’s Office crisis negotiator was called in to assist in diffusing the situation,” said Sgt. Howell.  He said the negotiator was able to talk with the man for a short time before he abruptly ended the phone call and came outside carrying a large knife.  Police ordered him to drop the knife, but he raised it and came toward officers, ignoring their commands.  He didn’t get far.

Get our free mobile app

Sgt. Howell said that a Deputy “engaged the subject with non-lethal beanbag munitions which caused him to drop the knife and become disoriented enough for other Deputies and Troopers to get close enough to use other less than lethal means to take him into custody without serious injury.”

The man was taken to the hospital for a medical and mental health evaluation.   The situation was handled cooperatively by the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office and the Michigan State Police with assistance from the Marshall Police Department, Calhoun County Consolidated Dispatch, Summit Pointe, and Marshall Firefighters Ambulance.