Person armed with knife shot by Baltimore Police during mental health response

A person armed with a knife was shot by a Baltimore Police officer Monday during a response to a mental health crisis, department officials said. 

The incident occurred in the 1100 block of Park Avenue near the Bolton Hill neighborhood around 11 a.m.

Officers arrived at the scene to find a person armed with a knife attempting to harm people, Police Commissioner Richard Worley said. 

Worley said the armed person was in the hallway of a building before retreating into an apartment. An officer waited in the hallway for backup to arrive. 

The individual eventually left the apartment, where officers tried to de-escalate the situation and commanded the person to drop the knife. 

The person did not comply, according to officials, prompting police to deploy tazers, which had no effect. 

An officer then fired their weapon, hitting the suspect two times in the leg, Worley said. 

The suspect eventually dropped the knife and was taken into custody. Immediate medical care was provided, and the suspect was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. 

According to Worley, the ambulance had to pull over due to the suspect's combative behavior during transportation. 

No other injuries were reported, officials said. 

"We are a different department now," Worley said Monday. "In the past, it would have turned out a lot different. Our officers showed the great training that we have to de-escalate a situation. Even after the individual came at them with a knife, they still tried to de-escalate."