Officers used Tasers after police say the 36-year-old advanced toward them armed with a knife and hammer.
UTICA, N.Y. – A shoplifting investigation at a Dollar General erupted into a tense confrontation Friday when police say a 36-year-old suspect pulled a knife and hammer from his coat, advanced toward officers and yelled for them to shoot him.
Utica Police responded around 2:50 p.m. to the Dollar General in the 1100 block of Mohawk Street after employees reported that a man they knew had taken merchandise and left without paying.
Store workers gave officers the suspect’s name and description. Police said officers located Aizzie Gary, 36, of Utica, on Leah Street near Taylor Avenue a short time later.
Police Say Suspect Advanced With Knife and Hammer
As officers approached Gary, police said he reached inside his coat and produced a knife in one hand and a hammer in the other.
Gary then allegedly began moving quickly toward the officers while yelling for them to shoot him.
One officer deployed a Taser, but police said the first attempt was unsuccessful.
Gary then turned to run, according to the department, before a second Taser deployment brought him to the ground.
Officers removed the knife and hammer from his hands, placed him in handcuffs and transported him to the Utica Police Department.
Three Menacing Counts Filed
Police charged Gary with three counts of menacing a police officer, two counts of criminal possession of a weapon and petit larceny.
The charges are allegations, and Gary is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
The arrest comes amid a string of recent police investigations in Utica involving officers confronting armed suspects during street-level enforcement. (Shore News Network)
No injuries were reported by police in connection with the confrontation.
