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Toppenish, Wash – New information is being released in an officer-involved shooting that injured a man June 6, 2024 along Toppenish Drive.
According to court documents, a Yakama Nation tribal officer responded to a suspicious persons report when he was approached by a man with a machete in one hand and a brick in the other.
While parked, the officer said he called for backup after the suspect threw the brick and rocks at the patrol car and damaged the windshield before fleeing the area, the documents said.
Backup officers with Yakima Nation Tribal, Yakama Nation Fish and Wildlife and Toppenish Police surrounded an area where they suspected the man was hiding and made contact with the suspect still brandishing the machete, court documents said.
Court documents went on to say taser deployment was ineffective and the suspect began to swing the machete in a threatening manner towards the officers while throwing more rocks at them, striking another police vehicle.
One of the officers fired multiple rounds, hitting the suspect. Officers rendered aid and the suspect was taken to Yakima Memorial Hospital and then Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for treatment, according to court documents.
The suspect, Pablo Juan Cortez-Vega, 52, is charged with second and third degree assault along with malicious mischief.
His trial in Yakima County Superior Court is scheduled for February 18, 2025.
The Washington State Patrol conducted the investigation per protocol for use-of-force incidents.