Hatchet-Wielding Man Shot By Officers In Cleveland: Police

CLEVELAND — A hatchet-wielding man was shot three times by a Cleveland police officer on early Friday morning.

At 12:20 a.m., police were called to W. 117th and Lorain Avenue after a man began beating an ambulance with a hatchet. The hatchet-wielding man then stormed toward emergency medical workers, police said.

The man hit the ground with the hatchet and began swinging at nearby wires, a Cleveland police spokesperson said.

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When officers arrived, they spoke to the man and told him to drop the hatchet. The man tried to walk away, so police followed him to W. 106th and South Frontage. Officers continued to try and calm the man down, police said.

As the man walked onto the bridge at W. 106th, officers used a beanbag shotgun to try and subdue him. The bag hit the man, but did not slow him down, police said. Officers then tasered the man, but he continued charging towards officers, police said.

The man then lunged toward officers while wielding the hatchet, police said, and one officer fired his gun. The man was shot three times, police said.

EMS gave the man first aid and then rushed him to MetroHealth Medical Center, where he is currently confined.

This incident is still under investigation, police said.