Police use Taser to stop man from stabbing himself

ROSEBURG, Ore. -- Police say they had to shock a man with a Taser to get him to stop cutting himself with a knife in the Wal-Mart parking lot early Thursday morning.

Roseburg police were called to the main Wal-Mart parking lot entrance off of Stewart Parkway just before 5:00 a.m., for a report of a man who was acting agitated and holding a knife to his own throat.

When officers arrived, they say the man made "rapid thrusting motions," as though he was stabbing himself in the chest.

Police say the man sustained minor injuries from the knife.

An officer used a Taser to shock the man, and he was taken into protective custody by police.

Officers are only identifying the man as a 51-year-old.

He was taken to Mercy Medical Center for evaluation, and police say he has not been charged with any crimes.