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Police Arrest SJ Man Who Brandished Knife In Senior Home, Dared Officers To Shoot

PALO ALTO (CBS SF) -- Police safely arrested a man Monday night after he allegedly entered a senior living facility and then brandished a pocketknife while daring officers to shoot him.

At 8:04 p.m. Monday, an officer at the Stanford Shopping Center observed security personnel following a man as he was leaving the shopping center, according to police.

Security reported that the man had earlier walking into a Starbucks and began throwing things inside. Security also said the man may have stolen various items from other stores at the shopping center, according to police.

The suspect then entered the nearby senior living facility, Vi at Palo Alto, located at 620 Sand Hill Road. As officers were preparing to enter the facility to search for the suspect, the man walked back outside, police said.

Officers gave him commands to stop, but the suspect refused and then began to run around the premises, according to police.

As he ran, he pulled out a pocketknife with an exposed 1.5-inch blade and brandished it at the officers, police said.

As officers surrounded the man, he stopped running and began yelling at the officers. Officers ordered him to drop the knife, but the suspect, again, refused their commands and dared officers multiple times to shoot and kill him, according to police.

During the standoff, an officer was able to tackle the suspect from behind and disarm him. Multiple officers struggled with the suspect until they could put him in handcuffs, police said.

Police identified the suspect as 47-year-old San Jose resident Martin Shelley, who suffered a minor injury to the left side of his forehead, likely a result of landing on the ground as officers were tackling him, police said.

No officers were injured during the incident.

Paramedics transported Shelley to a hospital, where he was medically cleared for incarceration, according to police.

Officers found Shelley to be in possession of a number of items that appeared to be from various stores at the shopping center, police said.

Police arrested Shelley on suspicion of brandishing a weapon and resisting arrest. Officers also added a felony probation violation because Shelley is on active probation in Santa Clara County stemming from a prior felony conviction of driving under the influence, according to police.

"Our officers were confronted with an armed, belligerent suspect," Palo Alto police Lt. Zach Perron said. "They exercised tremendous restraint under very challenging circumstances."

© Copyright 2015 by CBS San Francisco and Bay City News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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