Knife-wielding man subdued in Round Lake Park

An encounter Friday afternoon with a suicidal man who approached police in Round Lake Park with a knife and asked to be shot was defused without injury.

Police were called about 3 p.m. to 400 block of Forest Glenn Drive. The man's roommate had alerted authorities that man was acting irrationally, according to Chief George Filenko.

The 26-year-old man was located near Washington Street and Forest Glenn Drive, Filenko said.

Officers tried to de-escalate the situation by talking with the man, but he began advancing toward officers saying, 'Shoot me,'" according to Filenko.

At that point, an officer from Round Lake Beach, who was assisting on the call, fired a beanbag and hit the man in the hand, Filenko said.

However, the impact did not dislodge the knife. Two more bean bag shots were fired at the man's legs but did not take him down, he added. Round Lake Park police then used a Taser to subdue the man, Filenko said.

The man was taken to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville for evaluation, and it will be determined Monday whether charges will be filed.

"We'll see what are options are, but right now, he's safe and the community is safe," Filenko said.

The goal is to avoid the use of deadly force if possible, according to Filenko.

"It was really textbook management of a critical incident in which a person is unstable," he said. "The incident could have resulted in the use of deadly force. Training, equipment and logistics prevented a bad situation from turning into a tragic one."