Salinas Police Department officers responded to a report of a suspicious person with a knife. Officers found a teenager sharpening a butcher knife on a sidewalk outside a house. The teen lived in the neighborhood. He refused to drop the butcher knife, and began banging it against a shed behind the house. Police called in the Salinas Fire Department to use a fire hose as a tactic to subdue the "irrational" boy. Three officers deployed Tasers and non-lethal rounds. The fire hose, Tasers, and non-lethal rounds were all ineffective in disarming the boy.When the boy walked inside a house, officers decided to follow him because they were concerned that the teen may make people inside hostages. Once inside the house, the boy turned toward the officers; he was still wielding his knife. One officer shot the boy six times with an AR-15 rifle, while a second officer shot the boy twice with a handgun. At least one of the gunshots killed him.
Victim's Name: Marlon Joel Rodas-Sanchez
Agency Responsible: Salinas Police Department
Gender: Male
Age: 16
Race: Hispanic
Date of Death: January 18, 2017
County: Monterey
Cause of Death: Gunshot, Taser
Official Disposition: Pending investigation/No Known Charges
Criminal Charges: No known charges
Mental Illness: Yes
Armed: Allegedly Armed
Weapon: knife
Threat Level: other
Fleeing: Not fleeing
Body Camera: Yes
Washington Post Database ID: 2225
Geography: Suburban