A 14-year-old boy was taken into custody Monday night after Lincoln Police threatening a man with a garden rake and a kitchen knife, prompting a police response at a south Lincoln grocery store.
LPD Public Information Manager Erika Thomas says officers were called shortly after 8:15 p.m. to the area of 19th and Washington for a reported disturbance involving the teenager and a 53-year-old man who knew each other.
Thomas says the confrontation eventually moved inside Russ’s Market at 17th and Washington. Thomas says officers arrived to find the teenager holding a large kitchen knife and moving toward a 68-year-old man who had attempted to intervene with a shopping cart.
“The 14-year-old was given commands to drop the knife, which he did,” Thomas says. “The 68-year-old man then picked it up and was given commands to drop the knife, which he did.” Investigators determined the teenager initially threatened the 53-year-old man with a garden rake.
The man was able to take the rake away, but the teenager then grabbed a kitchen knife and continued threatening him, first at a residence and then at the grocery store. Both weapons were recovered. Police took the teenager to a hospital to be evaluated for possible injuries before transporting him to the Youth Services Center.
He was referred for attempted second-degree assault, which is a felony. The investigation involved no reported injuries to the other individuals.