Man Wielding a Knife Wounded by Marshal

A man who police said was waving a large knife on a downtown street was shot and seriously wounded Friday by a deputy county marshal--the first time in the 50-year history of the marshal’s office that a deputy has been involved in a shooting.

San Diego police, who are investigating the incident, said the shooting occurred when Royal Broten, 39, did not respond to repeated orders to drop a knife that he had been waving around as he walked north on 6th Avenue near the Interstate 5 off-ramp. But several witnesses said that although they saw Broten advancing on the officer, he did not appear to have the knife in his hands.

County Marshal Mike Sgobbasaid the events leading up to the shooting began about 11 a.m. when Broten entered the family law court building on the 1600 block of 6th Avenue “acting in a bizarre manner.”

Sgobba said that Broten walked up to the airport-style security station at the entrance to the courthouse lobby and pulled out a sheathed military survival knife. Broten slammed the knife down on the counter and walked through the security area without stopping.

“He just stormed in,” Sgobba said.

Broten walked across the lobby and then turned around and left, retrieving the knife on the way before anyone could stop him, Sgobba said.

Deputies James McCain and Eddie Head, who work as court bailiffs, followed Broten out of the building.

“They watched him walk up the street and climb over the railing of the I-5 bridge,” Sgobba said. “They ran up to try to dissuade him from jumping.”

When the deputies reached him, Broten climbed back over the railing to the sidewalk and continued walking north.

Police Homicide Lt. Phil Jarvis said that at this point the deputies noticed that Broten had pulled the knife out of its sheath and started waving it around while babbling.

Jarvis said that the deputies repeatedly ordered Broten to drop the knife but he ignored them and continued walking. McCain ran past Broten and turned to face him while continuing to order him to drop the knife. McCain drew his gun but Broten continued to walk toward him.

“The officer told him to drop the knife while continuing to back away,” Jarvis said. “The man said, ‘No, get out of my way.’ ”

Jarvis said that Broten had walked within about four feet of McCain, when the deputy fired one shot in an attempt to disarm him. “The shot just barely hit him on the side,” Jarvis said.

Teri Poteet, who manages an apartment building directly across the street from where the shooting occurred, said she saw the entire incident from her kitchen window and that she did not see a knife.

“The two officers were behind him, trying to get him to stop, and then one of them came around in front of him,” she said. “(Broten) was walking, he would not stop walking. He was walking very quickly and his arms were swinging beside him. That’s how I know he didn’t have a weapon . . . if he had a knife, it must have been in his pocket.”

Jarvis said that a knife with an eight-inch serrated blade was found at the scene and that although two witnesses interviewed by homicide detectives said they had not seen Broten brandishing the knife, at least four others told police that they saw the knife in Broten’s hand.

Broten was taken to UC San Diego Medical Center where he underwent surgery Friday afternoon. Hospital officials listed him in serious condition.