Knife-Wielding Man Shot, Killed by Troopers on Seattle Bridge

Washington state troopers shot a man who reportedly advanced on them with a knife after stopping his truck and setting it on fire on a busy bridge Monday night. The man has died from wounds sustained during the shooting.

Two troopers and a state Department of Transportation (DOT) official were sent to the scene, and as one trooper and the DOT official were extinguishing the fire, the second trooper walked 45 to 50 feet from the vehicle, where the pickup driver was spraying green paint on the pavement and on other vehicles, reports the Seattle Times .

As the trooper approached, Pratt said, the driver pulled a large knife and began to advance. The other trooper came to back up his colleague, and one of the troopers attempted to disable the man with a TASER, but for some reason the TASER did not work, Pratt said. As the driver with the knife continued to advance, both officers shot him.

Officers from the Seattle Police Department’s Arson and Bomb Squad found an incendiary device in the truck Monday night, which is one reason the lanes had to be closed for an extended period of time.