UPDATE, April 23 - The suspect in this incident has been identified as 43-year-old Anthony Duc Nguyen. The Kent County Prosecutor's Office charged him with six counts including: fleeing police, destruction of police property, carrying a concealed weapon and three counts of assaulting a police officer.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.- A 43-year-old Wyoming man is in police custody after he fired rounds from an airsoft gun at Grand Rapids police on Sunday morning, April 22.
Around 7 a.m. the man approached the officer who was patrolling in the area of Diamond Avenue and Bemis Street. The 43-year-old pointed the airsoft gun at the officer and fired a few rounds that hit the patrol car.
At the time, the police officer did not know that the weapon was an airsoft gun.
The officer called out the situation to GRPD, and there was a heavy police presence in the area. The man proceeded to aim his airsoft gun and fire rounds at four different officers. No members of law enforcement were injured during the incident.
The man then fled the scene on foot before getting on a moped and driving away. He ended up driving head on into traffic at Wealthy Street and Fuller Avenue, where he was hit by a vehicle and suffered from minor injuries. The driver of the car was not injured.
Sgt. Cathy Williams of the GRPD said that police believe that the incident was an attempt at suicide by cop because of statements the man made, requesting that the officers shoot him.
After the man was taken into custody, police determined that his weapon was an airsoft gun.
The man was taken to the hospital initially, and then he was lodged at the Kent County Correctional Facility on four counts of aggravated assault. Police said that due to the seriousness of the incident, they thought the best place for the man was in jail at this time.
Going forward, Williams said that mental health professionals will be brought on board to determine where the best and safest place for the man will be.
The Grand Rapids Police Department said that the officers involved in the situation that were "a split second away from taking the life of another individual will receive the resources they need to process this."
"This was a best case scenario," said Williams. "No one is injured. Someone that's a danger to themselves and others is now safely in custody. And no officers were injured."
Note: A previous version of this story said the victim was 41 years old based on information provided by GRPD. This has been updated.
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