Police shoot knife-wielding man with non-lethal weapons

Costa Mesa police say they shot large rubber bullets at a mentally ill man to disarm him when he refused to drop a knife Friday afternoon.

An officer found the 23-year-old Costa Mesa man about 3:30 p.m. near the loading dock of a Stater Bros. grocery store at 1175 W. Baker St., according to authorities.

A shopper had flagged down the officer and told him about a man with a large steak knife banging on the back door of the market, according to a news release from the Costa Mesa Police Department.

When the officer yelled at the man to drop the knife, he refused, police said.

For more than 15 minutes, the officer repeated his command to drop the knife while backup officers set up a perimeter, police said.

Police say they turned to non-lethal weapons “when it became apparent the male would not comply and further negotiations were futile.”

Officers shot the man multiple times in the right arm and leg using 40-millimeter rubber projectiles.

When one round hit the knife and knocked it out of the man’s hand, police swarmed him, according to the news release.

After taking him into custody, officers took the man to Hoag Hospital for a mental evaluation, police said.

The man also had moderate bruising on his right arm and leg from the non-lethal weapons, according to authorities.

Police declined to release any more information about the man’s identity and said no criminal charges will be filed against him.