Hemet man brings knife to gunfight

Subject shot by HPD, arrested, and now out on bail awaiting trial

■ By Kyle Selby / Reporter

On Oct. 28, 2017, Hemet Police responded at approximately 6:28 p.m. to 3527 W. Florida Ave. (Target shopping center) on a domestic violence call, according to an HPD police report. When officers arrived, the male involved was armed with a knife. According to the report, the man refused to drop his weapon upon numerous requests from officers, eventually “advanc[ing] towards the officers with his weapon prompting an officer involved shooting.”
No officers were injured, but they did provide immediate medical treatment to the man, later identified as 34-year-old Michael Martin, who was taken to the hospital where he was treated for “non-life-threatening injuries.”
According to officials, Martin was not under arrest while in the hospital due to the medical treatment he was receiving, despite facing several criminal charges.
“The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office has filed charges on Mr. Martin of assault with a deadly weapon, false imprisonment, violation of a domestic violence restraining order, and committing a felony while on bail/OR,” Hemet Police Department Public Information Officer Lt. Glen Brock told The Valley Chronicle in an email.
According to Brock, Martin currently is out on a $50,000 bail. “Charges were filed after detectives examined evidence, spoke with witnesses, and conducted an investigation,” he added.
Brock also added that Martin is currently awaiting trial on a separate case not related to the Oct. 28 incident.
According to court reports, a warrant was issued for his arrest Dec. 4, and he was arrested in court, Dec. 13.
Martin has a felony settlement conference scheduled for 8:30 a.m. on March 8, 2018 in Department B101 of the Banning Justice Center.