Mentally Ill Man With A Knife Shot By Police

Officer Jose Ruiz with the Albuquerque Police Department shot and critically injured a man after being called to take him to the hospital because he was having a mental health issue. Ruiz said 26-year-old Max Mitnik advanced on him inside the home, backing him into a room, while holding a knife.

When the video starts, Albuquerque Police Department Officer Jose Ruiz is talking to Max Mitnik and his parents in front of their spacious home in the Tanoan gated community.

Mitnik, who has mental health issues and hadn’t been taking his medication, wanted to go to the University of New Mexico Hospital and said he was worried he would hurt his parents.

The group discussed the long wait times at the hospital, and Ruiz cautioned that 26-year-old Mitnik might be stuck in the back seat of a police cruiser – with handcuffs on – for an hour. The conversation in the afternoon of June 4 is casual and relaxed.

So, minutes later, when Ruiz shot Mitnik as he approached him inside the home, reportedly holding a paring knife, the parents reacted in shock.

Max Mitnik has not been charged with a crime and an APD spokesman said it does not appear that charges will be filed. He does not have a criminal history, prior contacts with APD’s Crisis Intervention Unit or mental health reports in police databases.