Man armed with knife shot, killed by Arlington officer
On Thursday, April 25, 2024, at approximately 4:41 p.m., the Arlington Police Department responded to an apartment complex in the 2700 block of Lawrence Road to investigate reports of a possible stabbing.
As officers approached the apartment in question, they could see an adult male looking out the window. Due to the nature of the call, officers set up a perimeter around the apartment and gave verbal commands for the man to come outside and show his hands. The man exited the apartment holding a knife.
Officers instructed the man multiple times to drop the knife, but he did not comply. The man then suddenly moved in the direction of the officers, at which point one of the officers fired his service weapon.
The man fell to the ground, but quickly stood up and began running towards a wooded area on the east side of the complex between the apartment buildings and N. Collins Street. Officers pursued the man on foot and continued giving him commands to stop and drop the knife.
As they approached an embankment, the man turned around, raised the knife, and began to move towards the officers. The same officer who fired his service weapon near the apartment building then fired his service weapon a second time.
The man turned away from the officers and began running down the embankment into a field along N. Collins Street. When he got to the field, he went to the ground still holding the knife.
A second officer deployed his taser, immobilizing the man. The other officers then moved in and detained him. As they were placing him in handcuffs, they realized the man had a gunshot wound.
The officers immediately began performing life saving measures on the man until paramedics arrived. He was transported to an area hospital where he was later pronounced deceased.
No officers were injured during the incident.
Throughout the encounter, additional officers may have also deployed less lethal options. The team leading the investigation will make those determinations.
Additional responding units went back to the apartment and performed a protective sweep to check for anyone who may be injured or need help. They did not locate anyone inside. Officers also checked with area hospitals to see if anyone arrived at an emergency room with stab wounds or other injuries, but received no such reports. The investigation is ongoing. The department has not ruled out the possibility that the man with knife placed the original 911 call.
