Machete-wielding suspect shot, killed by Garland officers after advancing toward them, officials say
A suspect armed with a machete has died after being shot by Garland police officers early Monday morning, officials confirmed.
According to Garland Police spokesperson Officer Matt Pesta, at about 2:15 a.m., officers responded to a call concerning a man walking around carrying a machete. But once they arrived at that location, no one was found.
About an hour later, Pesta said the department received another call concerning a suspect with the same description. Officers responded and found the suspect with the machete in the 3400 block of Broadway Boulevard.
Officers spoke with the suspect for 15 to 20 minutes, trying to get him to drop the weapon. But police said he refused.
When the suspect began to advance toward officers, Pesta said the officers retreated and deployed an "electrical control device," but it didn't work.
Officers said the suspect began to move toward them again, swinging the machete. That's when they fired their service weapons. Once the suspect was down, officers immediately began lifesaving measures and the suspect, later identified as 37-year-old Michael Antonio Santacruz, was taken to the hospital, where he later died.
Garland PD said no officers were injured.
Pesta called the shooting tragic and shared how officers are trained to de-escalate before coming to this outcome. He said the department will look into what was going on in Santacruz's life that led to this crisis.
"Our officers did everything in their power to avoid this ending," Pesta said. "At the end of the day, we want every officer to go and every community member to be safe and for them to go home."
Police closed all northbound and southbound lanes of Broadway Boulevard at Colonel Drive as the investigation was launched.
All officers involved have been placed on administrative leave per standard policy. The Dallas County Public Integrity Unit has been called to lead the investigation, and the Garland Police Department will conduct its own independent investigation, too.
