A series of bizarre incidents ended with officers killing a man who tried to steal one of their patrol cars while armed with a knife – a knife he had taken from a woman after trying to steal her dog.
The DeKalb County Medical Examiner’s Office has identified the man as Mr. Christopher Lee, 44.
And in an added twist, they are trying to determine if the place where he was living was an unlicensed personal care home, DeKalb County police spokeswoman Ms. Mekka Parish said Wednesday.
The two officers involved have been placed on routine administrative leave until the end of the investigation.
The shooting happened last Friday afternoon on Wilkins Station Drive in Decatur after police responded to a call about a possible demented person, Ms. Parish said.
Investigators said Mr. Lee had walked into a woman’s garage, claiming her dog was his. The woman took the dog inside.
The man then got into woman’s car which was in the driveway and sat inside, Ms. Parish said.
“At some point the man went to the front door of the home, stating again he was the owner of the dog,” Ms. Parish said.
“The homeowner armed herself with a butcher knife and confronted the suspect outside again. The suspect was able to take the knife from the homeowner. He then chased the homeowner down the street and attempted to stab her.”
But the woman managed to escape and called police.
Officers arrived to find the suspect on Wilkins Way Drive cutting wires attached to a cable box, Ms. Parish said. The officers give orders for the suspect to drop the knife. But he refused and began walking down the street
“An officer observed the suspect walking toward a group of people and the officer cut the suspect off with his patrol unit,” Ms. Parish said.
A second officer arrived on the scene and both exited their patrol units.
The suspect entered one of the patrol cars through the front passenger side door, slid over to the driver’s side and attempted to drive away. But the car was in park.
“The suspect continued to refuse to comply with officer commands,” Ms. Parish said. “A Taser was deployed at the suspect, but he removed the prongs from his body.
“The suspect then made a threatening gesture toward officers at which point they were forced to discharge their weapons.”
Mr. Lee was transported to a local hospital where he later died.
The suspect lived in the neighborhood at 4834 Truitt Lane and an investigation is also ongoing to determine if this is an unlicensed personal care home, Ms. Parish said.
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