POLICE were justified in using baton rounds and Tasers against a drunk man armed with swords last year, the Police Ombudsman has said.
Officers were called to Stiles Way in Antrim in the early hours of January 17 after the man, who had cut his throat and hit himself on the head with the swords, was seen standing in the middle of the road.
When he refused to hand over the swords, armed response officers were called.
Police fired one plastic baton round when the man approached one of the armed officers and a second officer fired another round when the first failed to stop him.
Two officers each fired two Taser rounds, which also failed to subdue the man. After a short chase, police persuaded him to hand over the swords.
The man was arrested and taken to Antrim Area Hospital for cuts to his neck and injuries to his lower stomach and knee caused by the baton rounds.
The Police Ombudsman said the man later told investigators he had been depressed and admitted asking police to shoot him. He thanked police for the way they dealt with the incident.
