GARLAND, Texas – A man armed with a machete was shot and killed by police early Monday morning after advancing toward officers following an extended negotiation, according to the Garland Police Department.
Garland officer-involved shooting
What we know:
Police received an initial 911 call around 2:15 a.m. reporting a man with a machete at a 24-hour gas station in the 3000 block of Broadway Boulevard. Responding officers searched the surrounding area but were unable to locate him.
At about 3:20 a.m., a second call directed officers to the nearby intersection of Broadway Boulevard and Colonel Drive, where they found a suspect matching the initial description armed with a large machete.
Garland Police Public Information Officer Matt Pesta said officers spent between 15 and 25 minutes attempting to negotiate with the man and de-escalate the situation. During the interaction, the man began advancing toward the officers into the middle of Broadway Boulevard. Officers retreated and deployed a Taser, but the less-lethal device had no effect.
The man continued to swing the machete and advanced toward the officers. As he closed the distance, multiple officers discharged their department-issued firearms.
Paramedics who were staged nearby took the suspect to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police identified him as 37-year-old Michael Antonio Santacruz.
What’s next:
Three separate investigations into the incident are underway, including internal reviews by Garland Police Department detectives and its Professional Standards Unit, alongside an independent inquiry by the Dallas County District Attorney’s Public Integrity Unit. The officers involved have been placed on administrative leave per standard department policy.
Both northbound and southbound lanes of Broadway Boulevard at Colonel Drive were closed overnight while investigators processed the scene.
The Source: Information in this article is from the Garland Police Department.