A mentally ill man remains in the hospital after two prior police contacts and hospitalizations within the last 24 hours.

At approximately 2:41 a.m. on Wednesday, September 5th officers responded to a 911 call at a 7-11 convenience store at 35th Avenue SW and SW Avalon Street for a disturbance involving a male suspect tearing up the inside of the store. Officers arrived on scene and contacted an adult male suspect who was in a highly excited state and was subsequently transported to an area hospital for treatment. The store was closed down for four to six hours in order to clean up the mess created by the suspect inside the store.

At approximately 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 5th officers responded to the same suspect’s apartment in the 3200 block of Harbor Avenue SW to investigate a suspicious circumstances call: the suspect called 911 to report two people under his bed trying to get him. Officers recognized the suspect from the previous property damage call at the 7-11 and involuntarily committed him for a mental health evaluation at an area hospital.

At approximately 2:34 a.m. on Thursday, September 6th officers responded back to the same suspect’s apartment in the 3200 block of Harbor Avenue SW to investigate suspicious circumstances: the suspect called 911 and said something about killing a man on Harbor Avenue SW. Another citizen also called 911 to report a male suspect believed to be high on drugs hitting doors and walls of residents’ apartments with what she believed to be a golf club (which investigation later determined to be a long sword).

Responding officers contacted the same male suspect as the previous two calls on the first floor of the apartment complex and observed that the suspect was in fact carrying a large sword, not a golf club. Further investigation revealed that the suspect had damaged several apartment doors and the hallway with the sword.

The suspect appeared to be highly excited and out of control mentally. Officers ordered the suspect to drop the sword several times. The suspect ignored the officers’ commands and began moving toward the officers at which time he was tased. After the suspect was tased he remained standing and tried to rip the taser wires and prongs out of his body at which time a second officer tased him. The suspect successfully removed the second officer’s taser wires and prongs prompting the second officer to re-deploy her taser.

The suspect continued to resist and continued to try to rip the taser wires and prongs out of his body. At some point in the altercation officers were able to successfully recover the sword from the suspect however, he continued to swing his fists at the officers. The suspect eventually went down and was motionless.

SFD medics were called to the scene and officers immediately began CPR on the suspect. SFD medics arrived and took over CPR.

The suspect, a man in his 30’s, was subsequently transported to Harborview Medical Center where he remains under treatment.

This remains an active and on-going investigation.