A 28-year-old Santa Clarita man was arrested on suspicion of hit-and-run, DUI and was placed on a mental health hold after being involved in a hit-and-run incident northbound Interstate 5 near San Fernando Mission, according to a news release from California Highway Patrol Traffic Management.
The incident was first reported around 6:22 p.m. with a grey Mercedes Benz SUV hitting a grey Lexus and fleeing the scene, the news release said.
CHP officers responded to the victim and obtained a license plate for the SUV which returned out of Santa Clarita, leading to officers responding to the address and the SUV pulled up to the residence, the release said.
Officers attempted to contact the suspect, and he immediately became uncooperative and displayed a large knife, the release said. He remained in the locked SUV, moved to the rear seat, and began removing his clothing, according to the news release.
Additional CHP officers requested Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station deputies and their Mental Evaluation Team. The MET team attempted to coax the man out of the SUV for a several hours to safely bring him into custody but were unsuccessful, according to the release.
The suspect’s brother arrived on the scene and also attempted to coax the suspect out of the SUV but was also unsuccessful. While his brother was speaking to him, at around 11:27 p.m., the suspect thrusted the knife to his upper left neck, the news release said.
The SUV was unlocked and the rear hatch of the SUV was opened. Several commands to drop the knife were given to the man and he refused commands. The suspect proceeded to stab himself several times in the neck, according to the release.
A taser was deployed to disarm him, and the suspect dropped the knife, and he fell to the ground. The suspect sustained a serious arterial neck wound and officers on the scene performed life-saving measures, the news release stated.
Los Angeles County Fire Department personnel arrived on scene, took over lifesaving measures, and transported the man to Henry Mayo Memorial Hospital, according to the news release.
He was admitted to the hospital in stable condition and placed on a “5150” hold. No CHP personnel were injured during the incident, according to the release.
