Man with knife attacks utility crew

No one injured in Lake City incident

LAKE CITY, Fla. – A man armed with a knife attacked a utility crew working in Lake City, according to the Lake City Police Department.

The attack occurred Thursday on NE Washington Street.

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The crew told police the man was walking on a sidewalk and suddenly went irate and attacked them.

He ran into a nearby home as officers were coming down the street.

Officers knocked on the door and were met by the knife-wielding man, who appeared to be having mental health issues.

The man then began to open and close the door while taunting them with the knife.

The officers backed away and established a perimeter around the house.

While officers were waiting for backup, the man walked outside. Officers ordered him to the ground, but he ignored their commands and seemed to be in a trance.

After several minutes of trying to reason with him, he reached for his waistband.

A sergeant deployed his Taser while other officers detained him.

He was taken to a mental health facility for evaluation.

“This could very easily have turned into a deadly force situation,” said Argatha Gilmore, Lake City’s Chief of Police. “Our officers kept their cool and were able to safely contain the scene. While we train our officers to use Crisis Intervention techniques in these incidents, they are not always successful. When the man reached for his waistband, we were able to end the situation without anyone getting hurt.”

The man's identity was not released. No one on the utility crew was injured.