Tense Bend park confrontation ends in arrest

A tense real-life drama played out at a northeast Bend park on Tuesday, as police confronted a man who allegedly grabbed a knife, injured himself and challenged officers to kill him and threatened to kill them, until two officers could deploy Tasers and take him into custody.

Shortly before noon, an officer stopped a white 2005 Hyundai Accent in front of Orchard Park at Northeast Sixth Street, said Bend police Lt. Nick Parker.

The officer was one of several who had been dispatched to an earlier domestic dispute on Northeast Majesty Lane and saw the car leaving the area. The officer believed the two people in the car were involved, Parker said.

The officers contacted two occupants, identifying the passenger as Christopher Michael Nolan, 36, of Bend. The officer soon learned Nolan had violated his probation conditions, and Nolan’s probation officer asked that he be arrested.

Another Bend officer arrived to help with the pending arrest. Nolan was standing beside the car when he reached into the passenger side and retrieved a large knife, Parker said.

The officers quickly identified the threat and challenged Nolan to drop the knife. But he in turn challenged the officers to kill him and reportedly began cutting himself as he fled into the park, the lieutenant said.

A third Bend officer arrived on scene to assist, and the three “continued exhaustive negotiating attempts to get Nolan to drop the knife,” Parker said in a news release.

During that time, he allegedly threatened to kill the officers and also challenged them to shoot him, at times pointing and waving the knife at them, Parker said.

“Two officers were able to strategically get into a position where they could successfully deploy their Tasers and subdue Nolan, to avoid further injury to him and risk to the officers,” Parker said.

Bend Fire Department medics were called to the scene and treated Nolan’s self-inflicted injuries, Parker said. He was then taken to St. Charles Bend for evaluation of the injuries, determined to be non-life-threatening.

Later, Nolan was taken to the Deschutes County Jail, where an officer said he was lodged on charges of menacing, unlawful use of a weapon and probation violation.

Parker praised the three officers, who he said “are being commended for showing great restraint and excellent tactics when they were faced with this extremely stressful incident that required split-second decision-making.”

“They not only prevented Nolan from more seriously injuring himself, but ensured the safety of themselves, other officers and the community,” the lieutenant added.