IMPD SWAT stops knife - wielding man's spree

Photo courtesy of IMPD

When officers arrived, they found a 25-year-old male in the driveway of a residence sitting in a lawn chair holding a large butcher knife.

By ​Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department
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INDIANAPOLIS - Members of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department SWAT team and the Indianapolis Fire Department successfully rescued a man in danger to himself and others.

Just after 10:30 a.m., officers with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department were sent to the 3500 blk. of Layman Avenue on report of a call for help.  A call to 9-1-1 requested police come to the area. When officers arrived, they found a 25-year-old male in the driveway of a residence sitting in a lawn chair holding a large butcher knife.

Officers cautiously approached the subject in hopes of getting him to put the weapon down. The man refused and instead retreated into the residence. The subject's girlfriend had already exited the residence by the time the subject had entered back into the residence. The subject was seen by officers through the front window acting very bizarre and holding the knife. 

Officers also observed the subject cut the cord of a lamp inside the house.  As officers attempting to coax the subject out of the house, they observed smoke coming from the rear of the residence. The subject then retreated to an upstairs bathroom where officers could clearly see him holding the knife.  Officers summonsed the assistance of the Indianapolis Fire Department and on-duty IMPD SWAT operators.

The subject stayed in the residence for a large majority of time as the fire was clearly seen protruding from the rear roof of the house.  Firefighters attempted to provide an exit for the subject by placing a ladder near the window; however the subject refused the help and kicked the ladder away on several occasions.  Firefighters and SWAT operators could not get close to the subject because of the real threat of the knife.  The subject finally climbed out of the window onto the roof of the front porch.  IMPD's Crisis Negotiators attempted to negotiate with the subject on the front porch; however the subject continued to display bizarre behavior while on the roof at one point started to dancef.

 As the fire continued to burn out of control the real threat to the safety of the subject became a real concern. A decision was made to deploy two separate less-lethal devices in order to save the subject's life. That decision likely saved his life, as both devices were successful in temporarily incapacitating the subject, allowing officers to take him into custody and medical staff to render aid without the fire or the smoke injuring him.  Thankfully no officers, firefighters or civilians were injured.

It was subsequently learned that the subject, before police arrived, entered the home of his girlfriend and forcefully took her keys and drover her vehicle recklessly up the street and destroying a nearby utility pole and two fences. After the vehicle became inoperable the subject went to the chair where officers encountered him.
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The subject was transported to Eskenazi Hospital for a mental health evaluation and will likely face preliminary charges once investigators have had a chance to investigate this incident.