42-year-old Indian, wanted for assault, shot dead by US police as they tried to apprehend him

PTI

New York, April 26

A 42-year-old Indian-origin man was shot and killed by police in San Antonio after he struck two officers with his vehicle as they were trying to apprehend him in connection with an aggravated assault case.

Sachin Sahoo was pronounced deceased at the scene after police officer Tyler Turner shot at him on April 21.

Sahoo originally hailed from Uttar Pradesh. Sources said he could have been a naturalised US citizen.

According to a preliminary investigation, just before 6:30 pm on April 21, officers were dispatched to a home in Cheviot Heights in San Antonio for a report about Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon, the San Antonio Police Department said in a statement to PTI.

Upon arrival, officers found a 51-year-old female who had been intentionally struck by a vehicle.

The suspect, Sahoo, had fled the location. The victim was transported to a local hospital in critical condition. San Antonio Police Detectives issued a felony arrest warrant for Sahoo in that incident.

Several hours later, neighbours called the police to inform them that Sahoo had returned to the original location. Officers arrived and attempted to contact him when he struck two officers with his vehicle. One officer fired his weapon, striking Sahoo, who was “pronounced deceased on scene.” One officer was transported to a local hospital for treatment of his injuries and the other officer was treated for his injuries on scene. Nobody else was injured during the incident. This investigation remains ongoing, police said.

Police Chief Bill McManus said that Sahoo had run over the woman, who was his roommate, with his vehicle. The woman was undergoing several surgeries and was in critical condition.

The police had issued an arrest warrant for Sahoo and a couple of officers had gone to his known location on April 21 to see if they could find him and arrest him. “They did find him and he jumped in his car. He pulled out of his driveway” where the police officers blocked him with their vehicles but he was able to squeeze through them. Sahoo hit the officers with his vehicle. “The other officer that was with him fired to stop him and struck him,” McManus said.

He said the police is yet to look at the bodycam footage to determine further facts.

A report in Kens5.com quoted Sahoo's ex-wife Leah Goldstein as saying that Sahoo was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

“He suffered the past ten years with bipolar disorder," Goldstein said. "He also had symptoms of schizophrenia.” “He couldn't understand what was wrong with him," she said in the news report. "He would hear voices. And hallucinate and just hear voices and just get stuck in his own mind.” Goldstein described Sahoo as a great dad.

“ I was a stay-at-home mom for many years," she said. "He provided for us.”

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