It was early in the morning on Sunday, around 2:40 a.m., and Officer Ed Marchese was at the front desk when a resident came into the station and requested help.
Quick to the ready, Marchese came out into the lobby to speak with the individual.
As Marchese stood only a few feet from him, the despondent man suddenly took out a serrated knife and began to brandish it threateningly.
“This is for you,” he yelled and came at Marchese.
Marchese immediately drew his weapon, but restrained from shooting. Before the individual could reach him with the knife, he was able to retreat into the locked desk area.
Marchese and Officer Rafael Rijos alerted the station of the attack and secured two tasers for their safety. They entered the lobby to talk with the man and hopefully de-escalate the situation, and were joined by Sgt. Mike Nee.
The individual told them he wanted them to shoot him and planned to attack them so they would kill him – what has become known as ‘Suicide by Cop.’
“During about five minutes of conversation the subject repeatedly stated that he wanted the police to shoot him and that he did not want to live any longer,” read the police report. “He stated that he was a drug abuser and wanted to quit but he could not get any help. Sergeant Nee observed that most of the time he had the knife at his side pointed in a downward position. As he became more adamant and demanding that Officers shoot him, he suddenly repositioned the knife so he was holding it so as to be able to strike downward with it.”
When another attack seemed imminent, Sgt. Nee deployed his taser and hit the individual in the upper torso area, causing him to fall to the ground. When ordered to drop the knife and comply, Jaulin still refused and Nee activated the taser once again, but didn’t need to deploy it.
He finally complied and was handcuffed.
Paramedics from Cataldo Ambulance were summoned to treat him and noted that there were rope marks on his neck.
“He then told the paramedics that he had tried to hang himself earlier that day but the ‘rope broke,’” read the report.
He was issued a Section 12 mental illness examination and will be summoned to Chelsea District Court for Assault by Means of a Deadly Weapon on a Person Over 60.
Chief Brian Kyes praised the work of the officers in de-escalating the situation and not reacting with deadly force. He said officers have to be ready for anything in today’s world, even people who want police to kill them in the dead of night inside the Police Station.
“I want to personally acknowledge the extraordinary efforts and exceptional calm and restraint exhibited by officers Ed Marchese, Rafael Rijos and Sergeant Mike Nee in de-escalating an extremely volatile situation that could have easily resulted in grievous bodily injury or had deadly consequences to either the officers involved or the Emotionally Disturbed Subject had it not been for the actions and the measured response of these brave officers,” said Kyes. “Continuous training for what seems like an endless stream of dangerous scenarios is at the core of our department mission which serves to both keep our community and Officers safe while controlling every critical encounter by utilizing the least amount of force necessary depending on the circumstances that are present. Three of our brother officers and one misguided and extremely troubled individual will go home to their families because of the heroic actions of these fine Chelsea officers.”
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