Man apparently in crisis taken into custody after wielding machete in Berkeley
BERKELEY – A person apparently experiencing a mental health crisis who was carrying a machete was detained by police in Berkeley on Thursday and taken to the hospital, the department said.
Just before 5 p.m., a person was seen in the area of Telegraph and Durant avenues with cuts all over their body, carrying a machete in one hand and a stick in the other, police said.
According to police, the area was heavily populated with vehicles and pedestrians at the time, and the person was walking the roadway.
University of California Police followed the person westbound on Bancroft Way toward Dana Street, then Berkeley Police attempted to make contact with them. The subject walked back onto Telegraph Avenue as police told people in the area to go inside or move away from the situation.
Though the officers gave commands to the person to drop the machete, they did not comply, so officers used less-lethal approaches in attempt to get them to surrender the sickle. These means were not effective and police eventually employed a Taser, enabling them to take the person into custody, police said.
The person has not been booked into jail and was taken to a nearby hospital.