By Police1 Staff
WALTON COUNTY, Ga. — A Walton County Sheriff lieutenant was able to take down a suicidal man who was armed with a rifle.
Lt. Mark Hess responded to a domestic violence call Monday night where he found Robert Bradley armed with a .40 caliber rifle, Fox 5 Atlanta reported.
Hess said Bradley told him to leave when he got there, then pulled the weapon out of his SUV.
During the standoff, Bradley can be heard telling Hess to shoot him.
“It became plainly obvious after a few seconds what he was wanting,” Hess said. “Suicide by cop at that point in time.”
Hess told the news station he didn’t shoot because he was trying to avoid bloodshed. He confronted Bradley when the suspect accidentally dropped his weapon.
When Bradley bent over to pick the weapon up, Hess knocked him down and subdued him, allowing another officer to retrieve the suspect’s weapon.
Chief Deputy Keith Brooks said Hess acted with restraint in the dangerous situation.
“Deadly force could have been used in this case. We’re just fortunate Lt Hess answered this call,” Brooks said.
Bradley was taken to a local hospital after he complained of a broken jaw from Hess’s punch. Hess told the news station Bradley had a cut lip.