By Daily Press staff
Santa Monica Police on Saturday at 1:41 p.m. responded to 5th Street and Wilshire Boulevard regarding a suspect in a vehicle stopping in the middle of the street and yelling at passing vehicles, police said. The man, who is in his 40s, displayed a knife at a taxi cab driver and chased him both on foot and in his vehicle. When officers arrived, they saw the suspect entering his vehicle and eventually stopped him at 4th Street and Arizona Avenue.
Once the vehicle was stopped, the suspect refused to exit his vehicle and brandished a knife at officers. Officers used police cars and blocked the suspect’s vehicle to prevent the suspect from fleeing, police said. While he was being detained, the suspect inflicted several non-life threatening wounds to his arms and upper body. SMPD’s Crisis Negotiation Team attempted to talk the suspect into surrendering but the suspect refused to acknowledge their requests. Because of the suspect’s refusal to disarm himself and his continued self-infliction of stab wounds, SMPD’s Special Entry Team deployed three tear gas rounds into the suspect’s vehicle and he was taken into custody.
The man was transported to a local hospital on a 72-hour psychological evaluation.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 30, 2003. Read the original PDF.