CIT Officers of Quarter – Q4 2020

On April 30, 2020, at approximately 0430 hours, Westside Division night shift officers were dispatched to a Person Down call at the intersection of South Dairy Ashford and Richmond A venue. Officers arrived at the scene and observed a tall commercial box truck stopped in the middle of the street. The consumer who had a large laceration to his forehead was seen standing on top of the box truck bleeding heavily from his wound. The consumer walked back and forth across the top of the box truck while clinching his fists and staring at everyone with anger. The consumer was also heard yelling out loud “Kill me, I will kill you and it is too late you can’t help me!”

Officers on scene were able to speak with the witnesses and found that the consumer ran out to the middle of the street and ran toward a box truck that was driving in a different direction. He struck the front end of the truck with his body as if he was tackling a person. As a result, he broke off multiple pieces of the front grill and injured his forehead. He then climbed up to the top of the hood and started hitting the front windshield with his elbow. He continued climbing up and got to the top of the box truck after he had shattered the front windshield. Upon further investigation, the officers also found that a unit had been dispatched to his apartment earlier because his mom called the police. His mom told the responding officers that he is an athlete and had been playing football his entire life. She also said that he had experienced multiple concussions while playing football in the past. She told the officers that he had been threatening to commit suicide all day. His mom called the police after he broke out the apartment window, grabbed a piece of the broken glass, and ran down the street.

The sergeant on scene notified the Command Center and ensured that the ambulance and the HFD ladder truck were properly staged. In the meantime, Senior Police Officer Srebalus approached the front of the box truck and started engaging in a conversation with the consumer. Officer Srebalus employed de-escalation techniques and was able to establish rapport with the consumer. He calmly carried on the conversation with the consumer and was eventually able to earn his trust. Officer Srebalus finally convinced the consumer to come down from the top of the box truck on his own. The consumer was then transported to the hospital and an Emergency Detention Order was filed.

Senior Police Officer Srebalus successfully convinced the consumer to surrender without having to use any physical force. The actions taken exemplified the dedication to not only the job, but to the community we serve