Royal Oak Police Safely Secure Suicidal Subject
(Royal Oak Police Report, Nov. 11, 2014)
On November 11, 2014, at 1:54 a.m., Royal Oak officers responded to the intersection of 12 Mile Road and North Main Street on a report of a suicidal person armed with a large knife. In addition to receiving numerous 911 calls from passers-by, the police department also received a 911 call from the subject armed with the knife in which he stated to the call taker, “I’m at 13 and Main, come get me”.
Officers arrived at the intersection and observed two people standing outside a vehicle; one was armed with a knife and the other was later identified as the subject’s mother. The officers ordered the subject to drop the knife. He ignored their commands and began deliberately advancing towards the officers. The officers deployed a Taser, which effectively disabled the subject, allowing them to safely disarm and handcuff him.
The 38-year-old Royal Oak resident, who has a history of mental illness, was transported to Providence Hospital for a psychological evaluation. Officers learned that immediately before this incident he had told his mother that he was going to kill himself by getting the police to shoot him.
“Suicide by cop, as it is commonly known, is one of the most precarious situations we deal with in law enforcement,” said Chief Corrigan O’Donohue. “My officers in this incident put them themselves at great risk by opting to deploy less-than-lethal measures to deal with a very dangerous situation. I am extremely proud of these officers and how they handled themselves.”
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