On Thursday, July 18 at 10:10 PM, officers from the Grand Forks Police Department were called to the area of 400 Demers Ave. in response to a male subject threatening people with a machete.
A male Grand Forks resident had been riding a scooter in the area of Demers Ave. when another, unknown male, had swung a machete at him. He was not struck by the machete, nor injured, and he was able to get away from the suspect. The suspect continued swinging the machete around at others in the area.
Officers located the subject still in possession of the machete and attempted verbal de-escalation with the male. During the encounter, the male put the blade of the machete to his own throat and cut himself. The male dropped the machete and went to the ground, at which point the officers rendered aid until relieved by paramedics. The subject was transported via ambulance to Altru Hospital for medical treatment. His current status is unknown.
At no point did officers use any force against the subject, and nobody other than the suspect was injured during the incident, and that by his own hand. This is an on-going investigation, and criminal charges have not been sent at this time; however, they may be in the future pending further investigation. The identity of the suspect is being withheld at this time due to the mental health nature of the call.
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