Madison police responded to a call from a witness who identified a 24-year-old woman making suicide threats on the 2000 block of East Dayton Street early Sunday morning.
According to a police report, the woman held a knife to her throat and appeared to have already cut her neck and arm.
Public Information Officer Joel DeSpain explained the protocol for dealing with suicide attempts.
Generally, officers are taught to try to engage in a dialogue with the attempted suicide victim in order to reach a peaceful resolution,"" DeSpain said.
After unsuccessfully attempting to calm the distraught victim and trying to convince her she had things worth living for, the woman asked the officer if he would shoot her should she point the knife toward him.
The officer explained his intention was not to harm the woman. However, when the woman made a quick slashing motion toward her neck, another officer responded immediately by firing a beanbag round that hit the victim's arm, causing the victim to move the knife away from her neck for just a moment.
When the woman motioned the knife toward her neck yet again, a second officer responded using a Taser-type device, causing the woman to drop the knife.
When asked if he felt the use of the Taser and beanbag round was necessary, DeSpain said, ""Yes, the officers made it clear they believed it saved her life.""
The victim was taken to a local hospital to receive help.
