NEW PHILADELPHIA − New Philadelphia police officers were not injured when a Stark County man they were trying to take into custody took possession of an officer’s firearm and discharged one round.
According to a social media post by the New Philadelphia Police Department, officers responded to a welfare check in the 1800 block of East High Avenue at approximately 8 a.m. Jan. 14. Callers reported a male lying against a tree in the wooded area and unsure if the man was sleeping or unconscious.
Officers made contact with the man and attempted to identify him over the course of 30 to 35 minutes, as he provided false information to them.
When officers tried to take the man into custody, he fled on foot into the wooded area. Officers pursued and tackled him to the ground. It was while they were on the ground that the man removed an officer’s firearm from the holster and fired one round, the post stated.
When asked to release the firearm, the man stated, “I am going to keep shooting.”
Officers quickly regained control and the man was taken into custody.
According to the post, the 25-year-old man was wanted on two active felony warrants, both carrying a targeted violent offender designation.
This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Man fires single round after grabbing officer’s weapon during arrest
Reporting by Staff Reports / The Times-Reporter
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