Officers use pepper-ball gun to subdue unruly crowd and reach fatally stabbed man

Staff Writer

Tuesday, July 14^th, 2009.
Issue 29, Volume 9.

HEMET - Hemet police used a pepper-ball gun to subdue an unruly crowd who tried to keep officers from reaching a fatally stabbed man, authorities said today.

The 32-year-old victim -- whose name was withheld -- was attacked outside The Wheelhouse, an entertainment venue and skate park at 2860 W. Florida Ave., about 1:45 a.m. Sunday, according to Hemet police Cpl. Jeff Dill.

The fatal victim was one of two two injured men at the scene. Officers also found an unruly crowd of about 50 people.

According to Dill, "several of these subjects interfered with the officers' efforts to render aid," and officers fired the pepper ball, which releases spray.

A 24-year-old man was treated for non-life-threatening injuries, said Dill, but the nature of those injuries was unclear.

Investigators determined a fight between Latino and African-American men broke out in the parking lot as the venue was closing, Dill said.

12 comments for "Officers use pepper-ball gun to subdue unruly crowd and reach fatally stabbed man"

3:54 pm Tue, Jul 14^th, 2009

1. observant says :

Just Gross. Hemet is becoming a cesspool of human waste. If my grandparents were still living there, I'd get them out. If the national guard could reside in a city - Hemet/San Jacinto should be it. It has declined so rapidly in the last 5 years with all the losers. I really feel for the elderly that are stuck there in the 'golden years'.

9:33 am Wed, Jul 15^th, 2009

2. OpEdArt says :

Ask a local politician "where'd all the money go for new cops and weapons"? I bet you'd like to know that the council members took a healthy pay raise instead of investing state money for enforcement and police vehicles/tools, on themselves. Hemet gets paid by Sacramento to take these prison scum into the city limits.
Oh! Was that a derogatory comment? My bad!

11:26 am Wed, Jul 15^th, 2009

3. Len says :

The Hemet City Council just cut the police budget in by over 20%. Yeah, everyone has budget issues but politicians need to start trying to solve the problems and listen to the voters priorities. Public Safety is #1! If you are not safe what does anything else matter?

8:07 am Thu, Jul 16^th, 2009

4. Sheri says :

Utilize your 2nd Amendment rights, arm yourself. Two sayings I like, Officers are minutes away when seconds count and You can't keep an officer on your nightstand. :)

In no way am I disrespecting our law enforcement.

I have heard many calls on my scanner of people, mostly women, calling because someone is in their house. Women with children locked in a room etc. I just shake my head. Hemet PD does have good response time, though.

It seems local governments always cut Public Safety Officers when they have to do cuts. Threatening to let prisoners out is another one they throw at us citizens. I think it's to scare us into voting for more taxes. Hemet citizens voted down a utilities tax last November. Let's see if it shows up on a future ballot.

10:10 am Thu, Jul 16^th, 2009

5. mom of lots says :

You can go to a safe shop and purchase an in wall locked safe that you press your code in and out comes your loaded gun ready for use! Have a dog to bark to alert you and protect yourself!

7:27 am Fri, Jul 17^th, 2009

6. CHP 11-99 says :

You really hit rock bottom when you gather at Hemet Night Clubs...Unless your a meth dealer.

7:27 am Fri, Jul 17^th, 2009

7. Darren Zimmerman says :

Or... we could bring up the fact that a gun is more than 30 times more likely to injure or kill someone in an in-home accident rather than hurt/deter an intruder. Granted, the Constitution does give the American people the right to bear arms... but it does not give us the right to take law enforcement into our own hands. That reponsibility resides with the police, as it should.

And on an unrelated note, shouldn't the local politicians (and politicians in general) be willing to take personal pay cuts, rather than cut necessary city functions? Are they that greedy, or am I missing something? Just a thought...

7:28 am Fri, Jul 17^th, 2009

8. Good Citizen says :

What does a loaded gun in your home have to do with being assaulted in a parking lot? Under state law, the average citizen does not deserve to be able to defend themselves on the street. Look into statistics, crime in areas with gun control and "may issue" concealed carry practices is way higher than states where criminals KNOW they will be shot for a crime. Our own government is forcing us to be victims, while criminals will break gun laws without concern. Whats a misdemeanor on top of the felony they were already planning to commit? California is a state where only criminals can carry guns on our streets.

6:19 pm Fri, Jul 17^th, 2009

9. Subprime says :

Well said Good Citizen. Thank god the NRA and other companies fight for our gun rights..Legally !!

4:54 pm Sat, Jul 18^th, 2009

10. Mead, Robert says :

Zimmerman: You are wasting your time. Most of us have already read this garbage in our Socialistic Media. As to the
"taking of the Law in one's hands". IT IS BETTER TO BE JUDGED
BY 12 THAN CARRIED BY 6. What a simple minded response.

10:58 pm Sun, Jul 19^th, 2009

11. figue it says :

Simple minded.....and you still don't get it.

4:31 pm Thu, Sep 24^th, 2009

12. DS says :

Now that the measurements are finished....does anyone actually have any info about what happened.