Police action to floor man with crossbow ‘justified’
ARMED police officers were justified in using baton rounds to floor a man making threats with a crossbow in a residential street, a police watchdog has said.
It also praised them for their professionalism on a day on which they feared for their lives.
Officers were called to Burry Street in Llanelli in the early hours of Tuesday, March 26.
Robert Samuel, 27, had dialled 999 and told operators he was hearing voices in his head and that he was going to kill police officers.
When police arrived at the scene, they found Samuel armed with a loaded crossbow.
A stand-off ensued which brought sections of Llanelli to a standstill, with many nearby streets closed off.
During the incident, Samuel pointed the crossbow at police and shouted at them to shoot him in order to “put me out of my misery”.
After 15 minutes of negotiation, armed officers shot two baton rounds which struck Samuel in the front and
rear of his torso, leading him to fall to the ground.
He was then arrested and taken to Prince Phillip Hospital in Llanelli with an injured wrist.
An investigation into the events of that day has now been carried out by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
That investigation found that officers dealt with the incident professionally and used a “less lethal option” to detain Samuel, who they said was acting in an “unpredictable and threatening manner”.
The scene following the incident in Llanelli
Investigators from the IOPC attended the scene in Llanelli and carried out house-to-house enquiries, took witness statements, and watched footage captured from the scene on CCTV, body worn cameras and mobile phones.
They also treated officers from both South Wales Police and Dyfed-Powys Police as witnesses.
The investigation concluded in June and found that Samuel’s wrist injury was caused by a baton round fired by officers. This use of force, according to the IOPC, was justified.
“I would like to congratulate the officers for the professional way they dealt with this incident,” said IOPC director for Wales, Catrin Evans.
“Police officers are always expected to use the least amount of force necessary to achieve their aim and in this case, they successfully gained control of the situation through the use of a less lethal weapon.
“The officers showed real concern for the man’s welfare in a challenging situation where one of the officers said he feared for his life.
“We have carried out our investigation as quickly as possible and, in our opinion, it is clear from the evidence we have gathered that their use of force was justified.”
Robert Samuel, of Heol Bryngwili in Cross Hands, pleaded guilty to making threats to kill, making threats with an offensive weapon, and possession of Class B drugs.
He was jailed for a total of two years at Swansea Crown Court earlier this month and told he would serve half of that in custody before being released on licence.