Police Officers Chased By Man Armed With Butcher Knife, Refuse To Shoot Him Due To ‘Recent Incidents’

On Thursday, December 4, Alfonso Martinez was arrested and charged with two counts of recklessly endangering safety and use of a dangerous weapon. The charges were reportedly the result of an incident that occurred on Monday, Dec. 1 where officers were called to the scene of a suspected double homicide. Two officers with the Milwaukee Police Department reportedly found two dead bodies inside the home. However, that’s not all they found.

The Journal Sentinel reports the officers also discovered 26-year-old Martinez. He was found shirtless and armed with a large butcher knife. The man, who allegedly has “mental issues,” reportedly threatened to kill the two officers and even chased them carrying the large weapon.

“They realized at that point that he was a mentally unstable person, so based on their experience, they thought they could use verbal dialogue to gain compliance and they were right,” said Milwaukee Police Captain Thomas Stigler.

The officers revealed he chased them around the two squad cars as they demanded that he drop the weapon, but to no avail. He actually chased them for so long, one of the officers admitted she was “beginning to wear out from the running,” before he ultimately surrendered.

Although he was an obvious threat, why didn’t the officers shoot him? According to Fox 6 Now, the decision to refrain from shooting was due to “recent incidents” that have occurred across the country. The officers stated that they refused to shoot Martinez due to the criticism behind the latest highly publicized controversial killings by law enforcement officers. The murders of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, along with the non-indictment of both officers who committed killed them, was the reason the officers did not shoot, reports WKOW.

While Martinez has been charged with recklessly endangering safety, he has not yet been charged in connection to the suspected double homicide. The investigation will be ongoing.

Do you agree with the Milwaukee Police Officers’ decision not to shoot Alfonso Martinez? Share your thoughts.

[Image via ThinkStock, Milwaukee Police Department]