San Jose police shot and wounded a suspect armed with a knife during a domestic disturbance early Monday, the police department reported.

The incident began around 7:45 p.m. Sunday when officers were called to a family dispute involving a weapon at a home near South First and Sutter streets.

Neighbor Carlos Mesa Arreola described the scene, saying, “Yeah, it’s like a movie, you know? I never see that in this area. A lot of police. A lot of SWAT people. Big trucks and everything.”

Upon arrival, officers evacuated the 911 caller, who had locked herself in a room with four children. The suspect, 44-year-old Heraclio Mejia, then threatened officers with a knife.

San Jose Police Chief Paul Joseph explained, “Officers verbally alerted each other that the suspect had a knife, ordered him to drop the knife, and began to withdraw from the room. As the officers were withdrawing, the suspect advanced with the knife.”

Police said a taser was ineffective, prompting an officer to fire his weapon as Mejia continued to approach with the knife.

After being shot, Mejia ran into another room and barricaded himself for three hours before being taken into custody.

Mejia was transported to a hospital in critical condition, but no officers were injured.

Chief Joseph noted that this was the fifth police shooting of the year and emphasized that officers undergo extensive training in de-escalation, though in some cases, such as this one, suspects leave little choice for the officers.

“The officers gave the suspect several commands which would allow him to safely surrender,” Joseph said.

The chief also revealed that Mejia had a history of domestic violence and had a restraining order against him.

The investigation is ongoing, police added.