Sword- and dagger-wielding man is killed after charging at officers, Detroit cops say
A man who swung a long sword and threw a dagger at Detroit police officers was killed in a clash with cops Thursday, according to the city’s police chief.
The man, whose name has not been released, injured one officer when he struck him with the dagger, Chief James Craig said after the incident Thursday.
A good Samaritan intervened with his vehicle to ensure the man was not able to harm others, Craig said.
The incident occurred at 7:15 p.m. as the two officers found the man “in the middle of the intersection with what appeared to be about a 32-inch sword,” the police chief said in a briefing. He was swinging it “very wildly,” according to the chief.
As the officers exited their vehicle, the man ran toward them while swinging the sword.
An officer used his Taser, but it was not effective because the man was wearing a “protective covering over his torso” similar to what a hockey player would wear, Craig said.
Craig said the man also took out an 8-inch dagger and threw it at an officer, striking him below his right eye. Officers later found a third blade on the man.
The man continued to chase the officers, leading to one of them shooting him, Craig said. The chief did not say where he was shot.
The police chief, who spoke an hour after the incident, said the timeline of events was still unclear.
The sword-wielding man found his way inside the officer’s car through the driver’s door, when another motorist blocked him in with his car, Craig said. The officers were then able to detain the man.
Craig commended the motorist who intervened, calling it a “very risky situation.”
“When he jumped into the scout car, the concern that the good Samaritan had, knowing police officers had shotguns and rifles in the front seat of the car ... that [the man] may have been attempting to gain control of the weapons,” Craig said.
Officers “went into life-saving mode,” but the man died at a nearby hospital, according to the police chief.
It’s not clear why the man was acting the way he was.
“We always see him dressed in his ninja outfit with his swords, but he doesn’t bother anyone,” nearby resident Isys Love told The Detroit News. “ That’s why we are wondering what set him off.”
The newspaper reported the incident was the third police-involved fatality in Detroit since July 10.
