On October 19th, at about 9:50pm, Hemet 911 operators received a call from a woman in the Willow Walk housing development. The person said she was armed with a silver handgun and wanted to die.
Hemet Police officers located the female near Thornton Avenue and Veronica Trail. She was yelling at the officers; telling them to shoot and kill her. The woman was wearing bulky clothing, had a bag near her, and something in her hand. Officers ordered her several times to drop the item in her hand but she refused and continued to scream at officers for them to kill her.
"One of the officers on-scene utilized one of our pepper ball less lethal weapons," said Corporal Josiah Douglas. "It was effective and thankfully she dropped the item in her hand." Douglas said the item in her hand turned out to be a beer bottle.
The woman was detained and soon transported to a medical facility for treatment due to her suicidal behavior and actions. She was otherwise uninjured.
The Hemet Police Department has several tools, such as the pepper ball less lethal option, that can be used in situations such as this. "Every situation is different," Lieutenant Eric Dickson said, "and sometimes the officers don't have the time or opportunity to utilize those different options. The other person really controls a lot of that. Fortunately for her (and us), it worked out this way tonight and she will get the help she needs. These types of calls, and the split-second decisions that must be made, are hard on the officers."