Shoppers in the Pacific Beach neighborhood of San Diego were given quite a scare on Saturday September 21. A man had been talking incoherently for some time. Apparently, reports seem to indicate that he was waving scissors.

Naturally it seems that he was threatening area shoppers. However, it is not yet clear whether he was under the influence of any foreign substance or not. Alcohol or drugs sometimes cause such behavior in a suspect's system.

Police officers responded to a call from several shoppers who felt seriously threatened. They apparently believed that the threats might end up turning into a violent crime if they were not careful. As a result, police officers arrived on the scene.

They gave the individual commands, perhaps telling him to put down the scissors. Apparently he had no wish to part with the makeshift weapon as he was still swinging them even as a police officer raised a handgun on him.

Eventually the man continued to shout threats and refused to put down the scissors even when the officer ordered him to do so. He advanced on the officer, who squeezed off a single round. The suspect was neutralized as a result of the shooting.

He was then taken to an area hospital with a wound that was considered to be no threat to his life. More than likely the shooting will be considered in policy and will have little further bearing on the case.

More pressing is how the investigation of the suspect will go down. If he were on medicine at the time, it may have been making him act in such a way. If this were indeed the case it could lend credence to his defense once a court case was put together. Mental conditions can also have a similar influence on the way people are able to defend themselves in court.

The suspect might also bring up the fact that no one else was immediately injured as a result of the incident. That could help a defense attorney to put together a case for the suspect.