Naked man arrested after allegedly drunkenly wielding knives in Pittsburgh area doctor's office
A man is now facing several charges after he was accused of destroying a doctor's office with knives while naked.
On Monday, North Belle Vernon police officers were called to Check Eye Group on Broad Avenue for reports of a naked man who was causing a disturbance and was armed with knives. Dispatchers were told that the man was stabbing walls, furniture, and knocking down displays.
Several of the employees inside the building fled into other rooms, locked the doors, and called 911.
Once police arrived, they found 54-year-old Darnell Howell wielding a large butcher knife in one hand and a steak knife in the other. Police ordered Howell to drop the knives, and after several commands, he placed the knives on a display table.
The officers attempted to take Howell into custody, but during the arrest, Howell was combative, sweating profusely, and screaming that he was going to die.
Howell evaded officers and ran out of the office and down the street. Ultimately, police were able to corner him, and he was taken into custody without any further incidents.
After he was taken into custody, he was found to be bleeding from his hand and had several superficial cuts on his stomach.
Police investigated the scene and found that several shelves were damaged, a couch had more than a dozen puncture wounds, pictures had been knocked over, and a pair of athletic shorts were found on the floor.
The witnesses said they feared for their lives during the incident, and one of the doctors said it was incredible that no one was hurt.
"It's complete panic because you don't know how you're gonna react in that type of situation," said Dr. John Cicchini. "You don't really necessarily have an emergency plan in place. We're just in Belle Vernon here. So you know, that caused a lot of chaos."
Howell has been charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, criminal mischief, indecent exposure, disorderly conduct, and public drunkenness.
He was arraigned and taken to the Westmoreland County Prison on $50,000 bail.