Police use Taser, less-lethal round to subdue Bend woman wielding large hunting knife, threatening on S. Highway 97

(Update: Adding video, police comment)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – A Bend woman waving a large hunting knife ran along South Highway 97 Friday morning, screaming and threatening people, at one point running at an occupied parked car and trying to stab it, police said. When she refused officers’ commands to drop the knife, they used a Taser and less-lethal impact round to subdue and take her into custody.

Deschutes County 911 dispatchers received several calls around 9:50 a.m. from people in the 61000 block of SE Coombs Place, and then along S. Highway 97, reporting a woman was wielding an eight- to 10-inch knife, running along the street, then highway and threatening people and vehicles, Bend Police Communications Manager Sheila Miller said.

The 54-year-old woman also ran at a parked car with an adult and child inside and tried to stab the vehicle before the driver fled the area, Miller said.

The woman continued heading north on the highway, screaming and wielding the knife. When officers contacted the woman in the 61000 block of the highway, she refused to drop the knife.

As a result, officers used a Taser and launched a 40-mm less-lethal impact foam round from a distance to secure the woman, Miller said.

Officers secured the knife and Bend Fire medics evaluated the woman at the scene. Officers then took her to St. Charles Bend for an evaluation, Miller said. Once cleared, she was to be taken to the county jail on charges of unlawful use of a weapon, menacing and second-degree disorderly conduct.

While the woman’s actions did not stop traffic, police closed lanes for a brief period for safety reasons before using the less-lethal round.

“When a person is using or threatening to use a deadly weapon like a large knife, our officers have to take into account their own safety and the safety of all the people around in the area,” Miller said. “And so using a Taser or a less-lethal round is an option that we like to have. And it's one of the reasons that we carry all those different tools.”