By John Dobberstein, Editor
Tulsa police shot an armed man Thursday who allegedly entered a restaurant and stabbed the manager and created a disturbance at the front of the business.
Police were called to BJ’s Brewhouse on 71st Street, near Woodland Hills Mall, for a stabbing.
The incident started when a 32-year-old man came into the restaurant and started to create a disturbance. The general manager of the business spoke with the suspect and tried to coerce him to leave but the situation escalated and the suspect pulled out a knife and stabbed the manager in the hand, the Tulsa Police Department said.
The manager yelled for staff and patrons to run to the back of the store to get away from the suspect and he himself was rushed into the kitchen to tend to his wounds.
After chasing others around in the restaurant for a brief time, the suspect left the store. Police said patrons and staff barricaded the doors and attempted to lock them to keep the suspect from re-entering the restaurant.
The suspect was banging on the door and trying to break in through a window. Officers arrived while the suspect fled from the BJ’s and walked toward nearby businesses and hotels located to east of the mall.
Ignoring commands from police, the suspect tried to get into hotels but was unable to and then took off toward Woodland Hills Mall wielding a knife. “Multiple attempts were made to stop the suspect by utilizing a taser, however none were successful,” police said.
“Given the suspect’s tendency for violence and showing intent to do harm to innocent people, one officer used his duty pistol and fired upon the suspect, striking him. The suspect went to the ground and was taken into custody.
Both the victim and the suspect were transported to the hospital and expected to recover from their injuries.
Per standard protocols, the officer has been placed on administrative leave. The case will be presented to the Tulsa County District Attorney’s Office for review.
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