Officers who fatally shot knife-wielding man March 16 near Tacoma Mall are identified
Two Tacoma police officers who fatally shot an armed man near the Tacoma Mall have been identified.
Officers Erika Haberzettl, 48, and Jared Levitt, 32, fired their weapons at a knife-wielding man who ran at them March 16 near South Pine and South 45th streets.
The man was later identified as Michael Mercado, 37, of Ruston.
Haberzettl was on patrol when a driver flagged her down about 3:30 p.m. to report an “erratic, hit and run driver,” according to the Pierce County Force Investigation Team.
The officer got out of her vehicle to speak with the driver just as Mercado pulled up and got out of his car, leaving it in gear.
Mercado “aggressively approaches Officer Haberzettl on foot” while holding something in his hand in a “shooter’s stance,” investigators said.
As Haberzettl backed away, Mercado continued advancing in her direction. The officer was struck by the open driver’s door of Mercado’s car and eventually fired at him as he moved toward her.
She can be heard yelling at him to put the gun down in body camera footage.
Mercado dropped to the ground.
“Despite this, he continues to grab and point the object at the officer,” according to PCFIT.
Levitt then arrived on scene and Mercado allegedly pointed the knife in his direction. Levitt yelled for Mercado to drop the item before firing six rounds.
Officers applied two tourniquets and a chest seal, and performed CPR, but Mercado was pronounced dead at the scene.
A knife in a sheath was recovered at the scene.
Neither officer was injured.
Haberzettl has been with the department for 20 years and is assigned to patrol operations. She was involved in at least one other police shooting Nov. 30, 2016, when her then-partner Officer Reginald “Jake” Gutierrez was fatally shot in the line of duty.
Levitt has been was the department 4 1/2 years and is assigned to traffic enforcement. Previously, he worked as a Seattle police officer and was credited with a saving the life of a man who overdosed.
This story was originally published March 26, 2022 at 1:07 PM.
