Man attempts suicide with a chainsaw in public in Merced

A 49-year-old man walking through a Merced grocery store parking lot tried to kill himself by cutting his throat with a chainsaw, police said on Tuesday.

Shortly after noon, police received a report that a man was threatening to hurt himself with a chainsaw inside the Rancho San Miguel parking lot in the 1900 block of Yosemite Parkway, according to Sgt. Alan Ward.

A landscaping crew was working in the area, and while passing through the parking lot, the man grabbed a roughly 2-foot-long chainsaw and began saying he wanted to kill himself, police said.

The man then put the blade to his throat, resulting in serious injuries, police said. He was flown by helicopter to a Modesto-area hospital.

Ward said the man did not have ID on him, and it’s unclear if he lives in Merced. The man is expected to survive, police said.

This story was originally published September 12, 2017 at 3:11 PM with the headline "Man attempts suicide with a chainsaw in public in Merced."