RIVERSIDE: Suicidal man armed with a rifle and bayonet safely taken into custody by Riverside PD
Trevor Montgomery
RIVERSIDE – On Dec. 14, Riverside Police officers faced down a reportedly suicidal man, who was armed with a rifle with bayonet attached to it. The incident occurred after a brief stand-off at a residence located in the 2000 block of Blenheim Street, in the city of Riverside.
At about 3:30 p.m., the Riverside Police Dispatch Center received a 911 call from a 23-year-old male stating he was armed with a rifle and was suicidal.
Based on the nature of the call and to ensure officer and public safety, numerous officers and supervisors were dispatched to the call. Officers quickly arrived in the neighborhood and set up a perimeter around the residence. Several residences around the location were evacuated to ensure the safety of those who live around the home where the call originated.
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After responding officers had surrounded the residence police dispatchers made numerous attempts to contact the man on both his cellular phone and his house phone. However, they never received a response.
As officers were preparing to use their patrol vehicle’s public address system to try to contact the subject, he suddenly exited the residence while holding a rifle with bayonet attached.
The man was given numerous, loud, verbal commands to put down his weapon, which a press release stated he never pointed at, or in the direction of any officers. The man listened to and obeyed the officer’s commands and eventually put the weapon down.
Once safely disarmed, officers took the subject into custody and confiscated the rifle.
The subject, who was not identified, was transported to a local medical facility for evaluation and treatment.
