A man brandishing a knife last night at the Great Wall Chinese Cuisine was shot and killed by Pinal County Sheriff’s deputies after he refused to surrender to officers, said a spokesman for the Pinal County Sheriff's office.
No one else was injured, said Elias Johnson, PCSO public information officer.
Johnson said the man only spoke Spanish and appeared to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol and may have been suicidal.
Employees working at the restaurant when the man entered only spoke Mandarin, a Chinese language, so there was a language barrier, Johnson said.
The employees called Maricopa police around 10 p.m., who were first on the scene, Johnson said. The restaurant is on North John Wayne Parkway near Bashas'.
Responding MPD officers tried to subdue the man with beanbag rounds, which are nonlethal force, but the suspect refused to back down and PCSO was called to assist, Johnson said.The man refused to drop the knife and made an aggressive move toward a deputy, who shot the man in self-defense, Johnson said.
The man was killed around 1:15 a.m. this morning and pronounced dead at the scene, Johnson said.
Johnson said authorities have not yet identified the Hispanic male, who carried no identification or papers.
The incident is under investigation. To read a press release on the incident from PCSO, click here.
