Police use non-lethal rounds to take mentally ill man into custody

DOWNEY – A man with a possible mental illness who had earlier threatened to harm family members was arrested this morning after locking himself inside a house with his elderly disabled father. The incident began at about 8:42 a.m., when the Downey Police Department received a 911 call reporting a disturbance inside a home in the 10200 block of Branscomb Street, authorities said. The caller stated that a 39-year-old man living at the home was inside breaking items.

Police officers learned that the man – who police did not identify – had a possible mental illness and had previously threatened to harm family members.

The man refused to exit the home, and also refused to allow his elderly father to leave the residence, police said.

Downey detectives entered the home and rescued the father, police said. He was uninjured and reunited with family members.

As detectives approached the suspect, they saw him holding pieces of paper in one hand and concealing an unknown item in his right hand with the paper, authorities said.

After the suspect ignored detectives’ orders to drop the items and show his hands, detectives fired three non-lethal rounds at the suspect, authorities said. Two of the munitions hit the suspect in the upper torso, and detectives physically restrained him as he was handcuffed and arrested.

Once he was arrested, detectives discovered the suspect was concealing a small plastic bottle in his hand. Detectives found “a large machete style knife” in the man’s bedroom “in plain view.”

The suspect refused medical treatment and was transported to a medical facility for a pre-booking clearance. Once released he will be booked for felony criminal threats and false imprisonment, police said.

No detectives were hurt in the incident.

Anyone with additional information is asked to call the Downey Police Department at (562) 904-2308 or Detective Mike Galindo at (562) 904-2330.