Man Told Police he intended to use his Rifle to Force Officers to Shoot Him
A 21-year-old man is undergoing a psychiatric evaluation today following an overnight incident in which he said that he planned to force an Albuquerque police officer to shoot him.
About 9 p.m. Thursday, 911 received a call from a passerby reporting that a man was carying with a rifle. Valley Field Officers quickly responded and created a small safety perimeter around the area while they assessed the situation.
Officers prepared for the worst, but hoped for peaceful resolution as Sgt. Louie Armijo, approached the distraught man.
Sgt. Armijo and the officers were in a very dangerous situation, but the sergeant remained calm, speaking to the man with patience and kindness. He was able to discourage the man from harming himself or others and eventually surrendur peacefully.
As Valley Field Officers transported the man to receive a psychiatric evaluation, the man admitted to the officers that his plan was to point his firearm at police in hopes that officers would shoot him.
The man said that he changed his mind after his encounter with Sgt. Armijo who made him laugh and asked the man to come talk to him.
This is the second time that the man has had an encounter with APD this month. The man was arrested on an out-of-county misdemeanor warrant on Nov. 18 by Albuquerque police.
APD Crisis Intervention Detectives received notice of this incident and will provide follow up and ongoing outreach to the man.
