Police Department

Spokane Police Patrol Officers Disarm Suicidal Woman with Knife

Ofc. Teresa Fuller

Wednesday, December 30, 2015 at 5:14 p.m.

Spokane Police Patrol Officers, initially responding to a report of Domestic Violence, disarmed a suicidal woman armed with a knife before she was able to hurt herself or any others. The woman was upset her boyfriend was being arrested and once officers allowed her back in her home, she grabbed the knife. Another occupant in the home tried to take the knife away and started struggling with the woman, compelling officers to force entry into the home to prevent her from hurting anyone.

On Dec. 29th, 2015, just before midnight, Spokane Police Officers responded to a report of domestic violence in the 1200 block of east Decatur. While officers were arresting the suspect at the location for Malicious Mischief-Domestic Violence, the suspect’s girlfriend interfered with the arrest and attempted to fight with officers. The female made suicidal statements and said she was going to prevent police from arresting her boyfriend. Officers, believing that she was going to calm down, asked her to return to her home so they could finish the arrest. She went back into the home where she retrieved a kitchen knife and held it to her throat. She then began fighting and struggling with another occupant in the home who was trying to disarm her. Officers breached the door and gave orders to the female to drop the knife, but she refused. An officer was able to deploy a Taser, giving other officers the opportunity to safely take the female into protective custody.

The female was transported to a local hospital for a mental health evaluation.

This incident is a great example of the many tactics officers can utilize during tense, rapidly evolving situations. While not applicable in all instances, the Taser deployment used during this incident prevented what could have been substantial injuries to the female, the officers, and the other occupant in the home. See YouTube links for body camera video of incident.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhIN4GqHPHM&feature=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gk9VjGILrnc

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