Authorities: Police use stun gun on 81-year-old Arkansan who refused to drop pocketknife

Police say officers used a stun gun on an 81-year-old Arkansan after he refused to drop a knife Saturday morning.

According to a news release from the Springdale Police Department, officers responded to a call at a house in the 1700 block of Cambridge Street shortly after 10 a.m.

When the officers arrived, a man later identified as Harold Marlin reportedly approached them with a pocketknife and ignored their orders to drop the weapon.

Police said Marlin went inside the home, then returned, still holding the knife. After he refused another order to drop his weapon, officers said they used a stun gun, striking the 81-year-old in the upper torso.

“Even after [the man] was struck with the taser, he still refused to drop the knife,” the release stated. “Officers had to pry the knife out of his hand.”

Twenty minutes after he was booked at Washington County jail, the man was released back into the custody of medical staff, authorities said. His condition was not known Tuesday.

Lt. Jeff Taylor, a spokesman for Springdale police, declined to describe the injuries the man sustained. He would not say whether they were caused by the stun gun.

Marlin faces charges that include fleeing, resisting arrest and two counts of aggravated assault. Taylor said he could not provide further details about the assaults because one of the victims is a minor.

The 81-year-old's next court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 15.

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