COLUMBIA TOWNSHIP, Ohio — One man is in the hospital in critical condition after deputies shot him during a confrontation outside his home in which he wielded a baseball bat and axe, the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office said.
The sheriff's office said in a release deputies responded to the 6600 block of Cambridge Avenue in Columbia Township at around 4:40 p.m. Friday after residents reported a man chasing people with a baseball bat. WCPO 9 News spoke to Torri Byrd, one of the men who called 911.
"We all tried to help that guy out," Byrd said. "He came at my brother with a bat, and so that's why we called the police."
When deputies arrived, the sheriff's office said they found Robert Brandon Eldred wielding the bat in front of a home. Eldred first ignored commands to drop the bat, and then threw the bat at deputies, the sheriff's office said. Then, officials said he went into the home and returned with an axe.
The sheriff's office said one deputy fired a rubber bullet at Eldred and a Taser was also deployed. In a video shared with WCPO 9 News, Eldred appears to still run at deputies after both were used.
WATCH: Video shows confrontation between deputies, man with axe
As Eldred continued toward deputies, the sheriff's office said two additional deputies fired at him, hitting him once in the left side. The sheriff's office said Eldred continued toward deputies, trying to grab one of their guns.
At that time, the sheriff's office said another deputy deployed his Taser, causing Eldred to fall to the ground.
The sheriff's office said Eldred continued to fight deputies as they took him into custody. Video shows him kicking and screaming as police try to get him in handcuffs.
Eldred was taken to UC Medical Center, where he remains in critical condition.
Byrd told us he witnessed the entire interaction.
"Kind of sad to see, but it's better to have him in the hospital than something else," he said.
Eldred is being charged with four counts of felonious assault in connection to the confrontation with deputies.
Watch Live:
