Suspect Wounded by Non-Lethal Weapon

A Ventura man was in fair condition Saturday after being shot by Ventura police officers, who for the first time used non-lethal soft projectiles filled with sand, said Sgt. Carl Handy of the department’s Special Enforcement Team.

“I’m 100% convinced (that) if we hadn’t used this device, the suspect would be dead now,� Handy said.

Tony Pickett, 36, was shot about 10 p.m. Friday after lunging at officers with a knife, Handy said. He was in police custody Saturday at Ventura County Medical Center recovering from injuries sustained after being hit several times in the chest with the non-lethal sandbags, a hospital spokeswoman said.

The sandbags measure 2-by-2 inches, Handy said, and are used by other police departments nationwide.

Officers had responded to a report of a domestic dispute and found Pickett with a six-inch steak knife in the carport of a residence in the 1100 block of Acadia Place in Ventura, Handy said. When officers attempted to arrest Pickett, Handy said, he lunged at them with the knife.

“We emptied two containers of (pepper) spray on him to no effect,� Handy said.

Sgt. Roger Nustad finally leveled a shotgun loaded with the soft projectiles, hitting Pickett five times in the chest, Handy said. The sandbags are meant to incapacitate the assailant with blunt trauma. The bags travel about 380 to 400 feet per second, whereas a normal shotgun round travels about 1,200 feet per second, Handy said.

Pickett was arrested on suspicion of assault on five officers and possession of crack cocaine. No officers were injured in the incident.