Police use stun gun to apprehend Saline boy, 15, wielding butcher knife
Saline police officers are seeking charges against a 15-year-old boy they apprehended, after a search that locked down one elementary school and ended when officers used a stun gun to subdue him.
At about 10:15 a.m. Thursday, officers responded to a call from a woman who said her son left their Saline home “very, very angry carrying a butcher knife,” said Police Chief Larry Hrinik.
Police officers confronted the boy near Wilderness Park off Willis Road in Saline.
During the exchange, the boy ran away from police into the forest, Hrinik said. At that point, because the park is in the vicinity of Pleasant Ridge Elementary, the police department notified Saline Area Schools that there was a threatening individual on the loose, he said.
According to the city's website, Wilderness Park is a 22-acre heavily wooded area.
Steve Laatsch, spokesman and assistant superintendent of instructional services for Saline schools, said Pleasant Ridge’s staff was instructed to lock all entrances and exits to the building. Classroom teachers also were told to lock their doors, according to an email Laatsch sent to parents about the incident. No one was allowed to enter or exit the building during this time.
The boy emerged behind a neighborhood on Woodhill Drive about 45 minutes after he disappeared into the Wilderness Park woods, Hrinik said. He walked toward one of the officers, wielding the knife and threatening harm, Hrinik said.
Pittsfield Township police officers were called for backup. The Pittsfield officers were carrying stun guns and were given permission to use them because he was a danger to himself and others, Hrinik said.
“They Tased him, he went to the ground and we apprehended him,” Hrinik said. He was taken to the University of Michigan Hospital.
Hrinik said police would seek charges against the teen for felonious assault. Hrinik said a felonious assault charge is a four-year felony for adults.
View Saline 15-year-old subject pursued in a larger map
Danielle Arndt covers K-12 education for AnnArbor.com. Follow her on Twitter @DanielleArndt or email her at daniellearndt@annarbor.com.
Comments
RJA
Sat, Sep 15, 2012 : 11:38 p.m.
Great Job Saline Police, you do what you have to do!
Suzanne
Sat, Sep 15, 2012 : 1:22 p.m.
What is going on with our youth these days??
PK
Fri, Sep 14, 2012 : 4:37 p.m.
If only this boy was mandated to say Pledge of Allegiance, then this would have never happened.
A2brooksie
Fri, Sep 14, 2012 : 2:59 p.m.
If the boy is not charged with some sort of crime, there is no way for the "system" to get him the help he needs. What punishment the crime he is charged with carries for an adult is totally irrelevant, as he is a juvinile and this will go to juvinile court. If he is truly a "good kid" who needs help, he will never see the inside of a prison.
Ann23
Fri, Sep 14, 2012 : 11:35 p.m.
It looks like one parent did not hesitate to get help, instead of protect and enable at all costs.
a2roots
Fri, Sep 14, 2012 : 5:04 p.m.
Why does the "system" and not his "parents" have to get him the help he needs?
Tesla
Fri, Sep 14, 2012 : 2:38 p.m.
Don't Tase Me Bro!
Ignatz
Fri, Sep 14, 2012 : 1:31 p.m.
This is a perfect scenario for the police using a Taser. Excellent performance, officers!
kraiford12
Fri, Sep 14, 2012 : 12:35 p.m.
Police aren't baby sitters. They are paid/trained to respond and act to various calls of service and then , if warranted, report their findings and the facts of the encounter to the prosecutor's office. If it is a criminal issue then some sort of charge needs to be appropriately tied to the report. That charge has to fit all the actions committed by the individual. The prosecutor's office then decides if and what charges are going to be filed against an individual. They can even decide to change the charges to fit the situation. Even after that a judge can choose the manipulate the charges even further. It's not the job or duty of a Police Officer to change or alter facts or charges as they see fit. They are required to report the facts of the situation. We'd be screaming injustice if they did anything else.
kraiford12
Fri, Sep 14, 2012 : 12:57 p.m.
@ Ross Agreed. Just seemed people here were confused about how that whole process works. Police officers aren't Judge Dred (police/judge/jury/end-all-be-all). They just report the facts.
Ross
Fri, Sep 14, 2012 : 12:46 p.m.
That's true. I doubt the prosecutor will really want to lock this kid up. He needs help, not imprisonment.
Ryan
Fri, Sep 14, 2012 : 11:44 a.m.
"Hrinik said police would seek charges against the teen for felonious assault. Hrinik said a felonious assault charge is a four-year felony for adults." Great. Ruin his life completely by giving him a felony assault charge, thereby rendering him unemployable and yet another citizen that we will have tp pay for for the rest of his life in some way or another, whether in a cage or on welfare. He's 15 years old you geniuses! He hurt no one! Yes, he made some bad, stupid choices but he is 15! Stop piling on the felonies where they are doing more harm than good!
music to my ear
Mon, Sep 17, 2012 : 3:32 p.m.
no excuses if he is older, but 15 years old. he really has not had much of a life. no one is trying to excuse his behavior, just som intervention needed so as he does not keep going down the wrong road.
yourdad
Fri, Sep 14, 2012 : 3:20 p.m.
So the message we send to anyone capable of this type of action is that it is ok as long as you can excuse yourself with some sad story of a bad childhood or some other "blame everone but me" story. Maybe, just maybe, you should think of what a knife wielding person is... A frickin' knife wielding person! Thank God that there are public servants out there willing to confront these knife wielding people! Rest assured that the system will offer a much lower actual charge but everyone who does this should be charged the same every time. This kid needs help and finally got his cry for help out to someone who had to listen. Now, hopefully, he can start to heal.
music to my ear
Fri, Sep 14, 2012 : 12:14 p.m.
I too feel the police are rushing to judgement without ,knowing the young mans history. get the facts, get him help arent the police suppose to help our youth.
music to my ear
Fri, Sep 14, 2012 : 11:27 a.m.
a felony. what is the reason behind his anger. get the boy help. he is acting out .now is the time before he is older, to get help with what ever is making him angry my guess is his mom has put up with a lot and finally have to call the police .hormones at 15 is sometimes hard to deal with if the mother is raising him alone. saline is getting diverse ,some kids have it all some have little. impression on a 15 year old is sometimes hard to swallow for some kids.
eone
Fri, Sep 14, 2012 : 11:20 a.m.
Saline now has a forest? Wow they have it all!!!
music to my ear
Fri, Sep 14, 2012 : 11:30 a.m.
you should see all the land out here camp. take notice could get really lost.
sandalwood
Fri, Sep 14, 2012 : 8:03 a.m.
He's lucky he just got tased! And to all that say if he was "of color" stop bringing race into everything! People of all color do stupid things!
PineyWoodsGuy
Fri, Sep 14, 2012 : 6:30 a.m.
Taser = Junk Law Enforcement. Do the research. Taser = a Bill of Goods sold to Law Enforcement. Big Bucks for the Taser Company. If Law Enforcement needs the Boom-Booms, then Let It Be!
Michael Orta
Fri, Sep 14, 2012 : 2:54 a.m.
It is sad that they would seek felony charges. Yes the CHILD was in the wrong but the mother is obviously involved as she called the police. We should be focused on helping this kid rather than pressing charges and negatively impacting the rest of his life. At 15 he does not have the emotional maturity to fully understand his actions. We are too quick to lock our youth up and throw away the key. Let's work with the youth and develop them rather than harm them further.
hail2thevict0r
Fri, Sep 14, 2012 : 5:41 p.m.
You act as though a 15 year old does not grasp reality. He knew exactly what he was doing. We aren't dealing with a toddler here. He's old enough to get a learners permit and drive on our roads, yet, you seem to think he can't grasp the reality that maybe running away with a knife and threatening police officers with it is a bad idea? Right. There's only so far the "child" argument goes. At 10, maybe he didn't grasp the concept. At 15 - you do. Now he may not realize the life-long impact this may have on him, but he knew exactly what he was doing and is obviously a disturbed individual.
Ross
Fri, Sep 14, 2012 : 12:44 p.m.
Hear hear. He's 15 for pete's sake. Imprisonment is not necessary.
martini man
Fri, Sep 14, 2012 : 12:46 a.m.
They TASED him Bro ...good for them ..glad to see it !!!! But I am sure the liberals will want to prosecute the police . I applaud them . (.the police that is )
Fender66
Fri, Sep 14, 2012 : 2:40 p.m.
Right on Martini Man. I'm sure the "poor 15 year old" didn't know that if you threaten the police with a knife, you get Tased! So, it's really not his fault.
Basic Bob
Fri, Sep 14, 2012 : 2:09 a.m.
He was a very good boy.
Billy Bob Schwartz
Thu, Sep 13, 2012 : 11:57 p.m.
It's not easy being fifteen.
nickcarraweigh
Thu, Sep 13, 2012 : 10:28 p.m.
Those are some mean streets out in Greater Saline nowadays. You need a knife just to start even. Did they ever get to the bottom of that sordid business of watermelon mutilation? Any additional charges under consideration in this case? Why imprison a 15-year old boy for a lousy four years for running away from home with a kitchen knife? Surely we can afford to lock him up longer than that.
Billy
Thu, Sep 13, 2012 : 9:53 p.m.
Lucky he didn't fall on the knife when he got tased.
Anna
Thu, Sep 13, 2012 : 9:53 p.m.
*shaking my head*
justcurious
Thu, Sep 13, 2012 : 9:45 p.m.
I'm not going to say it, but a lot of people will be thinking it.
stevek
Thu, Sep 13, 2012 : 11:19 p.m.
My first thought
Billy
Thu, Sep 13, 2012 : 9:54 p.m.
Bath Salts?
eyesofjustice
Thu, Sep 13, 2012 : 9:33 p.m.
2012......what is going on???
Homeland Conspiracy
Fri, Sep 14, 2012 : 2:23 a.m.
Believe me I want to be awake to watch this all go down
Beth Mayhand
Fri, Sep 14, 2012 : 1:26 a.m.
Matthew 24...........the end of the world is coming. Better wake up before it is too late.
trespass
Thu, Sep 13, 2012 : 9:32 p.m.
I know that the Taser company threatens litigation when you blame anything on their device but calling it a stun gun is misleading. If you cannot call it by its brand name then at least call it an EMD (electromuscular disruptive device). A stun gun gives the impression of the type of pocket device that you hold against someone's skin while the EMD (essentially all of which are sold by Taser) shoots a pair of darts attached to the device with wires.
RunsWithScissors
Fri, Sep 14, 2012 : 12:45 p.m.
I'm with Trespass on this one. Stun guns and EMDs are completely different weapons.
HB11
Fri, Sep 14, 2012 : 10:47 a.m.
Who cares? We all get the picture and know what the device does.
Basic Bob
Fri, Sep 14, 2012 : 2:06 a.m.
In the interest of clarity, the weapon is probably a chef's knife. Butchers might threaten you with physical harm if you call it by the wrong name.
Steven Taylor
Fri, Sep 14, 2012 : 1:21 a.m.
Would you rather they shot him with their .40 glock sidearms? Or perhaps gently wrestled the butcher knife away from the disturbed individual. This isn't the movies where the cops can ninja kick a knife outta the bad guys hands. While a Taser isn't perhaps the ideal situation since you obviously have a dislike of these devices what would you propose?
Matt Cooper
Fri, Sep 14, 2012 : 12:26 a.m.
And your point is...what?