Bean bag to the gut subdues man outside Redding police HQ

Confronted by a man with a wooden post ready to swing at them outside the Police Department’s front door Thursday morning, officers in Redding decided to bring out a bean-bag gun to subdue him.

Daniel Rock, 50, described as homeless, confronted the officers about 8 a.m. outside police headquarters.

“This is my only option,” police quoted Rock as saying.

Rock was in a batting stance, holding a 4-by-4 post over his shoulder, officers said. He had several cuts on his neck that appeared to be self-inflicted, and officers suspected Rock wanted them to fatally shoot him.

Instead, when he refused to put down the post, an officer fired a bean-bag round from a shotgun straight at Rock’s abdomen. The thud of the bean bag made Rock drop the post and fall to the ground.

He was taken into custody and transported to a hospital for treatment and evaluation, police said. Later, he was booked into Shasta County jail on suspicion of assault on a police officer.

This story was originally published July 9, 2015 at 9:54 AM with the headline "Bean bag to the gut subdues man outside Redding police HQ."