A Texarkana Man Hit a Police Officer with His Machete During Arrest Attempt

Our police officers in Texas have a hard job to do. There are moments where they must make a split second decision that can be praised or scrutinized by armchair policemen. None of us could do their job. A recent incident on the Texas side of Texarkana showed how police officers used their knowledge and training to successfully arrest a man who was armed with a machete and a whip and using the machete to swing at officers.

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What happened?

At around 10 a.m. Saturday, March 2, Texarkana, Texas police received a call about a man sitting in a McDonald's that was carrying a machete and a whip. The call was only labeled as he was "a suspicious person." He did not threaten anyone in the restaurant with either the machete or the whip. The man left that McDonald's on foot before police arrived. Police were able to locate the man a couple of blocks away. The man began swinging his machete at police while walking down the road.

Struggle with Officers

The police officers tried to disarm the man with pepper spray to no avail. They then used a bean bag round which also did not work. The man continued to walk down the street while swinging the machete at officers. Police were finally able to move in and tackle the man. One officer was struck in the head with the machete causing only a minor injury and broken glasses.

Kevin Neal

32-year-old Kevin Neal was arrested and charged with Evading Detention, Resisting Arrest and Aggravated Assault.

Many in the Community Know Kevin

In the comment section of the Facebook post, many shared how they know Kevin and how his mental health is not the best right now. They also praised officers for their handling of the situation as we've heard many other tragic stories of situations like this. It seems these officers knew who this man was and knew his condition and were able to act appropriately.

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