Florida Deputy Hailed For Restraining Suicidal Man Who Stabbed Patrol Vehicle To Provoke Violent Reaction

Authorities in Florida released a dashboard camera video that shows an “emotionally disturbed” man repeatedly stabbing a deputy’s vehicle and asking to be killed.

The Bay County Sheriff’s Office said the video of the May 20 incident serves as a “powerful reminder of the dangers our deputies face every day.”

Deputies were responding to a reported domestic disturbance and arrived to find a man with a large knife approaching the patrol vehicle. The video shows the man repeatedly violently stabbing the hood of the patrol vehicle. The deputies slowly reversed away from the man, who followed, and approached the hood again.

A deputy repeatedly tells the man to “back up,” but he stabs the hood again and yells, “Do you want to kill me?”

“No!” a deputy shouts.

“Kill me!” the man demands multiple times.

“Back up! Please! I am begging you to back up!” the deputy says.

“Shoot me. End my life now,” the man says.

“I don’t want to, man,” the deputy says.

The deputy continues pleading the with the man to “back up” and “just talk.” He is eventually able to exit the patrol vehicle and speak to the man after he throws down the knife.

The man struggles when the deputy tries to place him in handcuffs, in an attempt to provoke the deputy into killing him, but the deputy wrestles him instead, ultimately securing him.

“What stands out most is the professionalism, compassion, and restraint shown by the deputy in this incredibly tense and dangerous encounter. Instead of reacting with force, the deputy remained calm and focused on de-escalation. Actions that likely saved a life,” Sheriff Tommy Ford said in a statement.

“Im grateful that no one was injured, and I pray this individual receives the help he needs,” Ford said. “This is the kind of quiet heroism that happens far more often than the public sees and I want to say thank you to every deputy who serves with honor in moments like this.”