Brandon police: Suspect stabbed himself as officers took him into custody

Source: BPS News Release

At approx. 2:00 PM Saturday, Police were called to a business in the 1000 block of 10^th St.  A male had entered the business and was observed by staff to be shoplifting.  A staff member confronted the male, and the suspect pulled out a large knife and threatened the staff member.  The suspect then fled on a bicycle prior to police being called.  At approx. 4:30 PM, an officer spotted the suspect from this incident in the 2500 block of Victoria Ave. The officer attempted to detain the suspect but he fled on foot.  As the officer pursued the suspect pulled out a large knife.  A second officer arrived on scene and ordered the suspect to drop the knife. The suspect then took an aggressive stance against police and then stabbed himself in the cheek area of his own face. Again he was ordered to drop the knife and he stabbed himself in the other cheek.  At that point one of the officers deployed a Taser which subdued the suspect allowing them to safely take him into custody.  The 20 year old male was taken to hospital where he was treated for non-life threatening injuries and released back into police custody.  He will appear in court today charged with robbery, possession of a weapon and resisting arrest.