Rubber Bullets Used to Subdue Man

Simi Valley police officers said they subdued a suicidal man on the Ronald Reagan Freeway by firing three rubber bullets at him early Wednesday morning as he walked toward them with a long metal rod.

The 27-year-old Lancaster man, whose name was withheld by police, reportedly said “kill me” to police at the scene, according to Lt. Neal Rein.

He was irrational, Rein said, and worried that he might be sent back to jail.

The man, who was on parole for unspecified charges, was spotted walking on the shoulder of the freeway about 4:30 a.m. near the Kuehner Drive exit. Four officers tried to talk to the man while also trying to slow down early morning commuters, Rein said.

At some point, the man began to walk toward officers, swinging his metal rod. That’s when the officers fired the 37-millimeter plastic bullets, Rein said.

“It really was the perfect device for this kind of incident,” he said. “Otherwise, I’m sure they would have had to use lethal force.”

This is only the second time the department has used the nonlethal weapon, which was acquired a year ago.

The man, who suffered bruises to his stomach and arm, was treated at the Simi Valley Hospital and then released to officials from the county’s mental health department.