Knife-Wielding Addison Man Asks Deputies to 'Shoot Me'

A man who repeatedly asked sheriff's deputies to shoot him at his home at Hidden Lakes Estates in Addison Township was eventually taken into custody without incident Wednesday night.

Deputies from Oakland and Addison townships responded to a call about a male who had kicked a door down and "wants the cops to come shoot his butt" shortly before midnight Wednesday, according to police reports.

When deputies arrived, they observed a 31-year-old male who "appeared extremely agitated" standing in the front doorway of a trailer home with his left hand clenched in a fist and his right hand "hidden behind his right leg," the report said.

According to the report, the deputy approached the suspect and asked what was the matter, to which the suspect responded, "Pull your gun and put one in my chest now." The deputy asked the suspect to relax, but he was uncooperative. The suspect repeatedly asked deputies to shoot him. When deputies asked him to show his hands, he swore at them and produced a "12-inch bladed knife from behind his right leg, holding it in his right hand," the report stated.

The suspect raised the knife, and the deputy speaking with the suspect took cover behind a car and drew his weapon. The suspect continued to ask deputies to shoot him in the chest. Deputies ordered the suspect to drop the knife several times, but he went inside the trailer instead. According to the reports, deputies heard a "thud" before the suspect reappeared on the porch with his hands in his pockets. Deputies kept their weapons trained on the suspect until a resident inside the trailer confirmed the suspect had thrown the knife into the floor of the trailer.

Two deputies from Addison Township arrived to assist, including one who had experience talking with the suspect before. After several minutes, the suspect was talked down from the porch and placed in a patrol car, where he became agitated and began smashing his head into the barrier. The suspect stated that "he had thought about throwing the knife at (the deputy's) head" to get the deputy to shoot him.

Five young children were asleep in their beds on the other side of the wall behind where the suspect had been standing and asking to be shot, police said.

The man was taken into custody for psychiatric evaluation.