Bodycam: Man Swinging Tow Chain Lunges at Nev. Police on Bridge

A 27-year-old man was fatally shot after lunging and swinging a tow chain at Nevada police officers on a freeway bridge last week.

Body camera footage captured the incident, which happened shortly before 4 p.m. after Reno police received reports of a man—identified as Michael J. Johnson—on the Wells Avenue Bridge, KTVN-TV reports. Callers told police they were concerned Johnson might hurt himself.

In the video, two officers approach Johnson as he stood near the edge of the roadway on the bridge. Officers told him he couldn't there because of safety concerns, but he told police he would just go to the other side of the bridge.

Stopping traffic in both directions, officers ordered him to get off the bridge. Police then called for the Mobile Outreach Safety Team and the Crisis Intervention Negotiation Team for help. 

Officers continued to talk to Johnson for about 15 minutes, and he eventually began walking toward a nearby street. As he walked, officers told Johnson to take his hands from his pocket and drop a knife, which police thought he had from an earlier encounter.

Johnson refused and kept moving closer to officers, with his hands in his pockets. He told officers he didn't have a knife and was about to leave. 

“Do not walk up behind me, bro, or it’s going to be a bad story, bro,” Johnson told officers.

After an officer drew a weapon, Johnson lunged toward police, pulling a long tow chain from his jacket. He began swinging it while running toward the closest officer, who opened fire.

Police secured the chain and began providing life-saving measures to Johnson. Medics responded, but Johnson was pronounced dead at the scene.

The shooting remains under investigation.