CLEVELAND — Cleveland police shot a 30-year-old man Friday morning after he lunged he lunged at an officer with a hatchet.
Officers responded to West 117th Street and Lorain Avenue around 12:20 a.m. to assist Cleveland EMS with a man who was beating on their ambulance with a hatchet. The EMS crew was on scene for a separate call when they heard something strike their vehicle.
"EMS Members then observed a male with a hatchet in his hand coming toward them. The male then threw the hatchet at the ambulance, then picked it up and continued acting irrationally, striking the ground with the hatchet and nearby wires," police said.
When officers arrived, they tried to deescalate the situation and ordered the man to drop the weapon. The man ignored the officers and walked away, police said. Officers followed him to a bridge near West 106th Street and South Frontage where a police sergeant deployed a beanbag shotgun and two other officers deployed tasers. Those measures proved to be "ineffective in stopping the male."
Another officer open fire when the man lunged at the sergeant with the hatchet.
The man was treated on scene by EMS and then taken to MetroHealth Medical Center, police said. His condition wasn't released. The man is facing a slew of charges including aggravated menacing, criminal damaging to city property and felonious assault on a police officer.
According to Cleveland police, the officers involved are 31, 34 and 28 years old. The sergeant is 57 years old. No further information has been provided.
The shooting remains under investigation.
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