Police tase man after he refused to give up weapon

Police say they were forced to use a conducted energy weapon – better known as a Taser – after a male suspect would not surrender his weapon.

Durham police were called to an apartment building on Wentworth Street West regarding an armed person at approximately 11:40 p.m. on Wednesday, July 27. According to police, a male on the seventh floor was damaging an apartment with a baseball bat, and continued to swing it aggressively in the hallways, smashing a glass window in the front foyer in the process.

The suspect was stopped by nearby officers, who, according to a news release, saw that he was armed with a large knife tucked into his pants. The suspect dropped the bat, but would not surrender the knife, leading to an officer using his Taser to subdue the suspect.

After the suspect was arrested, police say a large quantity of individually packaged crack cocaine was found.

A 24-year-old male of Wentworth Street West has been charged with possession of a dangerous weapon, carrying a concealed weapon, mischief under $5,000 and possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking in connection with this incident.