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A man from Utica, New York, who was roaming around the city with a machete, was arrested on Tuesday, December 27, 2022, after a five-hour standoff with the Utica police. They took the man for a mental health evaluation at St. Elizabeth Medical Center.
Police said that the machete man had five outstanding warrants. They decided to charge him with felony-level criminal mischief once he was released from the hospital. Police are yet to disclose his name, as the man has not yet been formally charged.
Residents of Utica were alerted on Tuesday afternoon that a “dangerous incident” might occur in the city, so they must stay indoors. The police informed the public that they were looking for a “distraught man” roaming about Utica’s Cornhill area with a large machete.
A video was posted on social media where a man, who appeared to be carrying a large knife in his hand, was seen walking along the sidewalk on Hobart Street.
Gas deployed by police at the machete man's house in an attempt to force him to come out of his house
As per the statement given by Utica Police, the man walked several blocks holding the machete and ignored the police. He reached his house at block 600, Cottage Place.
Police gathered on the street in front of his house, equipped with loudspeakers and ballistic shields, and warned residents to stay inside and lock their doors.
Authorities had to stand outside the machete man's house for five hours before he came out. Police even used gas inside the house multiple times to force the man out.
A SWAT team and crisis negotiators were also called to assist the police in getting the man out of his house. Negotiations were ongoing for about three hours before the man was taken into custody. The police did not report any injuries in this whole fiasco.
Utica Police handled the situation with high sensitivity and caution considering the mental condition of the machete man. Despite the man, who had a few outstanding warrants against him, was wielding a lethal weapon in hand and posing a threat to people, police assured people that neither the man nor anyone else wasn't fatally injured.
Keeping the machete man's condition in mind, they even called negotiators and sent the man to a mental facility in order for him to get the help he needs.
However, a clear contrast can be seen in another case in Detroit, Michigan, where the police fatally shot a young man with mental health issues to death. They did not consider calling the EMTs to the scene first to so they could deal with it.
Detroit man with mental health issues shot to death by police
On Sunday, October 2, Porter Burks, a 20-year-old resident of Detroit, Michigan, was shot by police. Burks’ family members claimed that he had a history of mental health problems. On Sunday morning, Burks’ family called Detroit police and informed them that Porter was brandishing a knife.
Police reported that they tried to contain the situation after arriving at Burks’ house on Snowden Street near Lyndon. James White, the Detroit Police Chief, told Fox News that the police first tried to control the situation by using a taser on Porter Burks, but it failed to subdue him. Apparently, Porter charged directly at an officer with the knife, who then shot him.
Burks’ family was devastated by his death. They told Fox News that they only called the police to help de-escalate the situation and assist the family in getting Porter the help he needed. Michelle Wilson, Porter’s aunt, said that the police knew his mental health issues well since the family had already informed them about them.
Damondo Anderson, Porter’s brother told Fox News that they were trying to take Burks to a mental health facility when the 20-year-old pulled a knife and threatened them. They called 911 because they expected the authorities to understand the situation and send Emergency Medical Services to their residence. They did not want the police to go this far and shoot Burks to death.
