Glendale man trying to get back into burning home cuts himself, injures officer: police

GLENDALE, Ariz. - A man who was trying to get back into his home during a fire Tuesday night pulled out a knife and cut himself and a Glendale Police officer, the department said.

According to Glendale Police, the incident began when officers responded to reports of a suspicious fire near Redfield Road and 60th Avenue around 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 23.

When police arrived at the scene, they encountered a man who police say was "acting odd."

"Our officer began speaking to the individual, who was associated with the home where the fire occurred, to keep him calm," Sgt. Randy Steward said.

At one point, the man pulled out a large kitchen knife and held it "in a threatening manner to not only potentially cause harm to himself but to the emergency crews working around him," Sgt. Stewart said.

The officer ordered the man to drop the knife, but he would not comply.

"The officer seeing the potential threat to the subject he was speaking with but also to the emergency crews still there working the fire scene, deployed his taser to de-escalate the situation," Sgt. Stewart said.

The man then fell and cut himself and the officer with the knife. The man refused to allow paramedics to treat him, but he was eventually taken into custody and hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. His identity has not been released.

The officer was not seriously hurt.

Related Stories:

• 2 badly hurt in Phoenix motorcycle crash, fire department says
• 'It makes me sad': Phoenix man's Christmas decorations ruined for second year in a row
• Phoenix-area mail carriers robbed on different occasions, 'it is very unusual'

Tune in to FOX 10 Phoenix for the latest news: