Yesterday afternoon deputies used a less than lethal projectile to arrest an armed man after he threated his family with a knife. The call began at about 4:35 PM when a man called Sheriff’s Dispatch stating that his 22-year-old son, Omar Saldana Campos tried to stab his mother with a folding knife. The man claimed his son was seeing and hearing things, losing his mind and that he had been taking illegal drugs.
Deputies responded to their home in the 700 block of Casa Grande Road and made contact with Campos in his driveway. Campos did not cooperate with deputies. At one point he dropped a broom he was holding and tried to walk away. As deputies attempted to verbally deescalate the situation Campos pulled a folding knife out of his waistband, unfolded the approximate 3” blade and held it to his neck as he asked the deputies what was up and made vulgar comments to them.
As a Spanish speaking deputy tried to calm him down, Campos continually got more agitated and started screaming vulgarities at the deputies. Campos then started walking towards the deputies with the knife to his neck and a deputy, armed with a 40 caliber less lethal launcher, fired one foam tipped projectile and hit Campos in the stomach which dropped him to a seated position. Campos then dropped the knife and the deputies were able to take him into custody.
After clearing Campos at a local hospital, he was booked for assault with a deadly weapon, criminal threats and resisting arrest. He remains in custody this morning with $30,000 bail.
