Friend of man who died after police confrontation in Morongo Valley: 'He just needed help'
A man died after a confrontation with police at a park in Morongo Valley on Saturday, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, and a woman who knew him is asking for help finding his dog, which she hopes to adopt.
Melissa Swan said she received a call from her former employee Frank Glasgow, saying he had been struggling while living out of his car and intended to kill himself. Between her attempts to talk him out of it, he asked her to take care of his dog, a German Shepherd named Baby Bear.
"I tried everything I could think of to convince him that was a bad idea, but he was despairing and feeling like there wasn't any hope for him," Swan said.
Glasgow worked for Swan for years as a carpenter near Mammoth Lakes. She described him as the best she ever employed, creative but troubled. She said he started having mental health issues last year and found it difficult to hold steady work. He subsequently lost his housing and was struggling in the cold winter living out of his car in the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range area.
Swann said he drove to Morongo Valley a couple weeks ago with Baby Bear, and as far as she knew had been staying there. Then she got the call from Glasgow on Saturday, during which he told her if police came he would threaten them with a knife. She said she tried repeatedly to talk him out of it but couldn't before the call was ended.
"I immediately called the police and told them everything, that there was mentally disturbed person having a crisis and what he intended to do," Swan said. "I told them he was not a violent person and had a bad limp. He was not threatening. He just needed help."
More: Dog that fled police shooting rescued in Morongo Valley, fulfilling man's final wish
Confrontation leads to deadly shooting
Deputies were dispatched to the park at 1165 Vale Drive, on the east side of Highway 62 near the popular Big Morongo Canyon Preserve around 3:40 p.m. Saturday. A police helicopter circled, telling passersby and hikers by megaphone to stay out of the area as the confrontation occurred.
Mara Rodriguez, a spokesperson for the sheriff's department, said a report had been made that there was a man who was possibly suicidal there. The department has not yet publicly identified the man or the person who called in the report. Rodriguez said deputies informed the man that they wanted to help.
Residents and visitors reported on social media seeing a brief police pursuit involving a sports utility vehicle on Highway 62 and in the area of the park. Joe Ehrlich said he briefly interacted with the man while on a dog walk, saying their dogs met briefly. A short time later the helicopter overhead told him and his wife to evacuate the area.
"We saw the guy drive by a couple times on our streets with a bunch of cop cars tailing him," Ehrlich said, adding it appeared several agencies were involved.
California Highway Patrol vehicles participated in the short pursuit, ultimately using a spike strip that destroyed one of the man's tires, after which the driver returned to the park. Rodriguez said the man struck a sheriff's department patrol vehicle along the way.
"The subject exited the vehicle, armed with a knife, and charged a deputy," Rodriguez wrote.
Deputies shot and killed him. No deputies or others were injured during the confrontation.
'He was just having an extremely bad day'
Swan read about the shooting on Sunday morning and contacted the sheriff's department about Glasgow's dog. She was told the dog ran away during the confrontation and has not been located. She said she's struggling with what she feels was an unnecessary end to a sick man's life and the challenge of how to find his lost dog.
"Part of me regrets calling, because I wonder if it did any good?" Swan said. "I don’t regret trying to talk Frank out of it. He wouldn’t listen to me. It seems wrong having this result in somebody dead. He was just having an extremely bad day and couldn’t shake his depression."
Swan is asking residents and visitors to the area to be in contact if Baby Bear, the dog, is found. People can contact The Desert Sun if they have information about the dog. She hopes to adopt him.
"That was Frank's final wish," Swan said.
Christopher Damien covers public safety and the criminal justice system. He can be reached at christopher.damien@desertsun.com or follow him at @chris_a_damien.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Friend of man who died in police confrontation in Morongo Valley speaks out
