Atwater police: Man with knife goes toward officers and is fatally shot
ATWATER, Calif. (KFSN) -- Atwater police confirm an officer shot and killed a man who came toward them with a knife at Green Sands Avenue and Augusta Lane on Monday afternoon.
Police say it started with a call from a victim stating her boyfriend was holding her in a car against her will, and he was armed with a knife. An Atwater police officer spotted a vehicle matching that description, and a pursuit began. Authorities say the suspect was driving erratically and the pursuit went from the city of Atwater to Merced County and back to Atwater. They say the suspect also tried to ram some patrol cars.
At some point during the pursuit, the suspect's vehicle got a flat tire. He stopped at Green Sands and Augusta, and tried to climb over a brick wall, but he wasn't able to make it over.
Officers say the suspect was already bleeding profusely with the knife in his hand when he came toward officers. They tried tasing him, but it was ineffective. They say the suspect came at officers again, and that's when he was shot and killed. Atwater police say five officers were at the scene, but only one opened fire and is now on paid administrative leave.
The suspect's name has not been released. Investigators say his girlfriend is doing OK, but she had blood on her because the man had been slashing his wrists and throat in the car.
