GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The Grand Rapids Police Department safely handled a report of a suicidal person by using bean bag ammunition to disarm the knife-wielding woman on Thursday evening, May 24.
Officers were called about 6 p.m. to the area of Jefferson Avenue and Cherry Street SE on a report of a woman stabbing herself in what appeared to be a suicidal act.
She was standing near the intersection, holding a knife to her throat and asking officers to shoot her.
"The only threats that she was making was to harm herself,'' Grand Rapids Police Capt. Geoff Collard said. "She would hold the knife up to her neck one moment, she would lightly cut her arms another moment.''
After talking with the 45-year-old woman for several minutes without any indication she was going to accept help, police fired four rounds of bean bag ammunition from a 12-gauge shotgun, striking her in the legs.
It did the trick. "The less lethal rounds ultimately led to the individual dropping the knife,'' Collard said. "It's worth the risk, compared to allowing her to maintain possession of that knife or us having to advance on her and ultimately be put in a position where we have to use lethal force.''
Grand Rapids police first used bean bag ammunition in Nov. 1994 as an option to taking potentially dangerous or armed people into custody without risking the safety of those involved.
The woman involved in Thursday's incident was taken to a nearby hospital for medical clearance and a mental evaluation.
"We were thankfully able to resolve that incident safely,'' Collard said. "She got a couple of bruises on her legs, but it's better than the alternative, which was, I believe, she was going to end her life.''
The police department says if you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or depression, or you know someone that could use some help, options are available by calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Other local resources can be found by calling 211 or contacting Network 180's 24-hour access phone line at (616) 336-3909.
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