A 54-year-old knife-wielding man and the Escondido police officers who shot him during a confrontation last week were identified Tuesday.
The shooting occurred around 12:10 p.m. last Wednesday, when officers received reports about a man later identified as Juan Ramos, who was acting erratically in a busy intersection in the southbound traffic lanes of South Centre City Parkway near Felicita Avenue, according to the San Diego Police Department.
Police said Ramos approached motorists while armed with a knife and created traffic hazards and safety concerns. Two Escondido police officers in uniform and one EPD detective located Ramos shortly afterward and directed him to drop the knife at the intersection of South Centre City Parkway and 13th Street.
Escondido police officers shot a man they say when he refused to drop what looked like a knife, reports NBC 7’s Jeanette Quezada.
The officers involved were Timothy Mills and Robert Bellamy. Mills has been employed by the EPD for about eight months, while Bellamy has been employed for about 17 years. The detective involved was Jeffery Bolton. He has been employed by the department for about three years.
“The man ignored the officers’ commands and ran toward the detective with the knife in his hand, prompting all three to discharge their service weapons, striking the man,” the SDPD said in a statement. “The man fell to the ground, immediately got back up and ran toward the uniformed officers with the knife in his hand. This prompted a second shooting by the officers, again striking the man and causing him to fall to the ground.”
In a video taken by a bystander, officers can be heard ordering Ramos to drop the item in his hand and stay down before they shoot at him multiple times.
He fell to the ground, writhing, before getting back up and heading towards the officers, who again shoot at him multiple times.
Ramos attempts to get back up, only to get shot at multiple times again.
Ramos allegedly continued to hold onto the knife, which officers said prevented them from taking him into custody. At one point during the confrontation, police said Ramos made comments indicating that “he wanted the officers to shoot him.”
Several sponge rounds were then fired at Ramos when additional EPD officers arrived at the scene. One of the officers was able to force the knife from his hand, while other officers were able to apply medical aid, a public information officer with the SDPD said in a statement.
Paramedics with the Escondido Fire Department transported Ramos to Palomar Medical Center, where he was expected to survive his injuries, police said.
The uniformed officers were equipped with body-worn cameras, which were activated during the shooting, according to a statement from the SDPD.
Ramos faces charges for allegedly assaulting an officer with a deadly weapon.