BALTIMORE — Baltimore Police are investigating an officer-involved shooting in the 2000 block of W. Pratt Street Saturday.
Commissioner Richard Worley said in a press conference that around 9 a.m., an officer patrolling the area stumbled across a naked man walking in the street.
Worley said when officers attempted to speak to the man, he ran into a nearby business and barricaded himself in a back room.
Worley says that after multiple attempts from police to identify themselves and get the man to come out, the man then threw an unknown liquid at the officers.
The officers left the business to get a body armor and returned to the building. As police were going up the stairs, the man reportedly charged both officers with two knives, one believed to be a machete. Police retreated down the stairs, and one officer received a minor injury to the face.
"It looks like he may have had an apartment in the upstairs area of the business," Worley says.
According to the police commissioner, the officers then fired a weapon, hitting the man in the leg. After that, they began rendering aid. Worley says that while the man was being taken into custody, he was still reaching for a weapon.
The police did manage to apply a tourniquet to the man's leg and take him to an area hospital. Worley says that that tourniquet 'probably saved his life.'
Police say the man is 36-years-old, but have not released his name.
"This is a very intense situation. Once you see the body-worn camera and how intense it is, you'll see how great our officers did yet again, not only in trying to disarm the individual, [but] once he was injured, rendering aid and possibly saving his life," said Worley.
In a tweet from the Baltimore City Fraternal Order of Police, the union outlines that the police staffing numbers are "approaching 50% short of the necessary number needed to safely patrol this city."
Our officer received minor injuries from the attack by the suspect in today's incident. The suspect was shot and is currently in Shock Trauma. Thanks to all for your support as our officers continue to police this violent city with staffing numbers approaching 50% short of the…
— Baltimore City FOP (@FOP3) December 30, 2023
Police say that they are working with the fire department to determine what the unidentified liquid was that was thrown on officers, as well as several other handmade devices, found inside the building.
Police say that the building does have a surveillance camera; however, they are currently unable to look to see what's on it because of the devices in the building.
This story is still developing. Stay tuned to WMAR for more updates.
