Salem Police Chief Kyle Ambuehl said officers had to fire two bean bags at a man acting irrationally when he began coming towards them with a knife during an incident last Thursday.
The firing of the bean bags ended a 20 to 30 minute standoff where police were attempting to talk the man into giving up the knife as he was waiving it while standing in the doorway of his friend’s apartment on North Miller Street.
Eventually, the man let the woman leave the apartment and he followed her out with the small knife still in his hand. Police continued to ask him to put down the knife as he approached them. When he didn’t comply, the two bean bags were fired at him which caused him to collapse to the ground.
The man, who has not been identified because he is not being charged, was taken to Salem Township Hospital for treatment of apparent minor injuries from the bean bags and to be evaluated.
Ambuehl says the man was found to have four other knives in his possession.
The incident occurred at 12:42 last Thursday afternoon.
