Officer Wounds Man, Says He Pulled Knife
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SANTA ANA — A police officer Monday shot and wounded a Santa Ana man who, authorities say, came after him with a knife.
Christopher Udell Smith, 27, was taken to UCI Medical Center in Orange with a leg wound after the 3:43 p.m. shooting on the 100 block of North Pacific Avenue, police said. He was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer.
The officer, who was not identified, stopped a vehicle with four men inside because of “suspicious circumstances,” Police Sgt. Dave Nick said. The circumstances were not disclosed.
When the car pulled over, Smith, who was a passenger, got out of the vehicle and “confronted the officer with a knife,” Nick said.
“The officer ordered the suspect several times to stop, and the suspect failed to comply. He continued towards the officer with the knife in hand,” Nick said.
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