(InEDC) BY Commander Dan Maciel, Placerville Police Department 08/08/23 5:07 PM PST
Placerville, CA – On August 6, 2023 at 11:02 PM, Placerville Police Officers responded to 1300 block of Broadway Drive regarding a report of a suspicious male with a “stick” looking into parked cars and acting aggressively.
Officers responded and arrived within minutes of the call. Officers were able to locate a male known to the officers from multiple police contacts. This subject, Michael Price 43, of Placerville was armed with an approximate 8 foot long by 2 inch around metal pole.
Officers attempted to contact Price, but he disobeyed lawful orders and began walking away. Upon hearing the Placerville PD radio traffic, a El Dorado County deputy was in the area and responded to assist. As the deputy pulled into the parking lot, Price charged the deputy’s patrol vehicle and struck the windshield with the metal pole while the deputy was inside. Price then went to a Placerville Police vehicle and broke the left rear passenger window with the pole. The force of the impact also damaged the metal frame of the patrol vehicles window. At this point Price was using the metal pole as a weapon against law enforcement officers.
Officers continued to give Price orders to drop his weapon, but he continued to refuse. Officers deployed their tasers multiple times, but the deployments proved to be ineffective. Officers followed Price westbound on Broadway Drive continuously ordering him to stop. Price charged at an officer forcing the officer to deploy less lethal bean bag rounds, striking Price twice in the chest and back. Price swung the pipe at the officer, striking him in the hand.
An EDSO K9 deputy who responded to calls for assistance deployed his K9 partner, which resulted in an apprehension bite. Once Price was on the ground, officers were able to take Price into custody. Price was medically cleared by staff at Marshall Hospital and booked at the El Dorado County Jail on 4 counts of assault with a deadly weapon on an officer, resisting officers with force, felony vandalism and a probation violation. Price was being held without bail.
We are relieved to report that no officers were seriously injured during this violent incident, and we would like to thank the member of the public for calling to report Price to our office.
We would also like to thank the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office and the California Highway Patrol for their assistance. The teamwork shown by all agencies in apprehending Price reduced the likelihood of a deadly law enforcement encounter.
Anyone with additional information is encouraged to contact Det. Randall at (530)642-5210
