A police video published Wednesday appears to show a man in northwest Ohio holding a gun to his head, stripping himself naked in the street and running around and appearing to shoot at an officer.
The Toledo Police Department (TPD) received reports from concerned individuals of the shirtless and barefoot suspect wielding a gun, pointing it at people and threatening to kill himself and the male who gave him the gun, on West Sylvania Avenue at about 2:15 p.m. Jun. 19, the video revealed. One of the 9-1-1 callers could be heard pleading with the police to neither hurt the suspect nor let the suspect hurt anyone else. The suspect was “just angry,” the caller said.
The TPD identified the suspect as Joshua David Garner.
A TPD officer reportedly spotted Garner in the backyard of a residence and ordered him to surrender. Garner allegedly verbally refused and fled between houses to the nearby Charlestown Avenue. He allegedly stopped at a driveway and stripped himself of his shorts while holding the gun to his head, the video showed.
“Don’t do it, dude! Please don’t do it! Put the gun down!” repeatedly cried the officer, identified as Officer Scott Histed.
A now-nude Garner allegedly fled towards the adjoining Kershaw Avenue, still holding the gun, according to the video. He allegedly ignored Officer Histed’s repeated calls, “Don’t do it!”
At one point, Garner reportedly points his gun at Officer Histed, according to the TPD’s Lt. Paul Davis in the video. Officer Histed then opened fire in Garner’s direction, the video shows. A few moments later, the still-fleeing Garner appeared to return Officer Histed’s fire, forcing the officer to take cover behind a tree as backup officers made their way to the area.
Garner threw his gun away and the officers arrested him, according to the video.
Still naked and lying prostrate in the grass as he was being arrested, Garner cried, “Please let me go! I can’t breathe!”; “Please I wanna die!”; and “I don’t wanna hurt no one”; among other phrases and expletives. He pleaded to have some water, mentioned his wife and said he did not want to hurt the officers, as they led him to the police vehicle.
Neither Officer Histed nor Garner was injured. Garner was taken to hospital “as a precaution,” Lt. Davis said.
Officers later discovered that Garner had a felony warrant for domestic violence, Lt. Davis added.
Garner faces a first-degree felony charge of assault on a police officer, according to Lt. Davis.
The TPD reportedly placed Officer Histed on administrative leave.
