BATH, Maine — A 35-year-old man reportedly suffering from mental illness was taken into protective custody Wednesday morning after police say he threatened another man with knives on a downtown street.
The man, whose name was not released, was taken to Mid Coast Hospital by ambulance.
Police went to the area of Middle and North streets at about 10 a.m. after receiving reports that a man was assaulting another man in the street with a knife.
Officers arrived within minutes of the reports and saw the man allegedly holding two knives, "acting irrationally, and posing a significant threat to public safety," Deputy Chief Andrew Booth wrote in a release.
The man, who Booth said was apparently suffering a "severe mental health episode," allegedly refused orders by police to drop the knives, and an officer deployed a Taser, which struck the man, who became immobile and was placed in handcuffs.
Booth said a subsequent investigation determined the suspect had randomly confronted and attacked a 72-year-old victim in the street, causing a minor injury. The two parties apparently did not know each other, police said.
A criminal investigation is ongoing.
