White Settlement police arrest man with machete walking down road toward elementary school
A man believed to be in crisis was taken into custody Friday morning after several 911 callers reported he was armed with a machete and walking down a four-lane highway while waving the weapon in the air, White Settlement police said.
The incident occurred around 6 a.m. in the 8400 block of White Settlement Road.
Responding officers said the man was walking in the middle of the roadway and was yelling at them to shoot and kill him, according to a news release from the White Settlement Police Department.
Officers told the man to drop his weapon, but he refused, and soon entered the parking lot of West Elementary School, police said. The White Settlement school district is having staff development this week, but students aren’t back in class for the new year until Wednesday.
“Officers are trained in crisis intervention techniques and utilized their experience and training to deescalate this situation,” the police department release said. “Officers deployed less-lethal weapon options, consisting of Axon tasers and shotguns specially-designed to accommodate beanbag rounds, while also maintaining lethal cover. The man dropped the machete prior to the utilization of less-lethal options.”
During the incident, the police department blocked off the road near South Las Vegas Trail. The man, who police say will not be publicly identified, was eventually taken into custody without incident.
“I am extremely proud of our team who put together a robust plan and slowed things down to properly assess this incident,” Police Chief Christopher Cook said. “There are many challenges that our law enforcement profession faces and this is a great example of those types of challenges that require quick action and good decisions made in the field.”
If you or a loved one are experiencing a crisis, call 988, the new, three-digit shortcut that will direct callers to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
