Raw video: Cop Crashes Into Car Killing 2 Teens
It was the sword-swinging samurai versus Batman.
No, this is not an early Halloween tale. It was a police call this weekend in Upper Darby. And (spoiler alert) Batman won.
Just after midnight Sunday, the Delaware County 911 emergency center received a call from a man who said he was suicidal and had covered his rowhouse apartment with gasoline. He was armed with knives and a crossbow.
Police said they determined that the call came from George Henry Rogers, 36, of Dayton Road in Upper Darby. When police arrived there, Rogers' mother told them that her son was barricaded in his first-floor bedroom, according to court documents.
"He basically said he was going to burn the house down and kill any cops that tried to come in, and he was going to kill himself," said Michael J. Chitwood, Upper Darby superintendent of police.
After attempts to talk with Rogers were unsuccessful, Officer Dan Lanni used a Baker "Bat" shield, which is made of Kevlar, to protect himself as he forced open the door that Rogers had blocked with furniture, Chitwood said.
The shield is shaped like a large bat, with wings that fold around the user.
Rogers attacked Lanni with a samurai sword, hitting the shield with enough force to bend the blade, according to court papers.
Chitwood said his department has two "Bat" shields, which cost about $1,000 apiece, will stop most firearm projectiles, and are available to officers on the street at any time.
After Rogers struck the shield a number of times, and refused police orders to lie on the floor, Lt. Mike Kehrle used a Taser to subdue him, according to court documents.
"He fell like a sack of potatoes," Chitwood said, adding it was the perfect use of a Taser. "We used less-than-lethal force with the Tasers, and it worked."
He said it was lucky that Lanni was not injured and lucky that Rogers was not shot and killed by police during the incident.
The sword confiscated from Rogers was adorned with a skull wearing a German World War II helmet on the end of the handle.
Police said they found a crossbow, a hunting bow, arrows, a large sword, throwing knives, and smaller knives on the bed.
All the weapons were legal to own, Chitwood said.
Rogers was taken to Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital in Darby for evaluation and was released. He was charged with attempted murder, assault, and other crimes and was being held in Delaware County Prison.
Contact staff writer Mari A. Schaefer at 610-892-9149 or mschaefer@phillynews.com.
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