A man with a machete was shot by police on a Maine bridge early Tuesday morning after they said he refused to drop his weapon.
Topsham police said the regional dispatch center covering their town received a call around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday from 33-year-old Joseph Mendez thanking them for their service. He also told the dispatcher that they would be finding him soon.
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The dispatcher was able to locate Mendez on the Merrymeeting Bridge on Route 196 on the 911 map and sent two Topsham police officers to that location, police said. When they arrived, they tried to communicate with Mendez, who was holding a machete, and directed him to drop his weapon. He did not respond to their commands and instead advanced toward the officers brandishing the machete and was shot. He continued to resist and not follow commands and was eventually hit with a Taser before eventually being taken into custody by Brunswick and Topsham police.
Mendez was taken to Mid-Coast Hospital in Brunswick and later transferred to Maine Medical Center in Portland for further treatment. He is expected to survive, according to police.
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The two officers, identified by Topsham police as Mathew Bowers and Frasier Vachon, have been placed on administrative leave, per standard protocol.
The Maine Attorney General's Office will be investigating the use of deadly force.
Police have not said what, if any, charges Mendez could face.
