Yoel Santel was standing in the doorway of a home when three deputies tried to reach in the home and grab him. Santel fell back and then retreated to a bathroom. At that point, deputies said Yantel then armed himself with a machete. Santel refused to leave the bathroom, and said, "Did you smell that gas? I poured gas everywhere." Deputies later said they smelled gas. Deputies introduced a chemical agent to get Santel to exit the bathroom. When a fourth deputy who arrived and reached down to pick up the can of the chemical agent, Santel reportedly charged out of the bathroom with a machete over his head toward the deputies. Deputies shot and killed him.
Killer: Kenneth Hill, Joshua Anderson, Sarah Taylor
Agency: Polk County Sheriff's Office
Motive: Domestic Disturbance-family (immediate)
Confrontation Type: Domestic Disturbance
Service Call: Yes
Body Camera: No
Official Disposition: Pending investigation
Victim Name: Yoel Arnaldo Mejia Santel
Death Date: October 14, 2020
County: Polk
Geography: Rural
Gender: Male
Age: 28
Race: Hispanic
Cause of Death: Gunshot
Criminal Charges: No known charges
Mental Illness: Yes
Armed: Allegedly Armed
Weapon: machete
Threat Level: other
Fleeing: Not Fleeing
Washington Post Database ID: 6239