A San Bernadino County sheriff’s deputy exhibited considerable restraint when he chose to use bean-bag rounds instead of lethal force to bring down a drug-addled man who charged him with a sword:

A sword-wielding 33-year-old Rancho Cucamonga man charged deputies while hollering “Allah Akbar,” sheriff’s officials say, until the deputies halted him with a blast from a bean bag shotgun.

Montasir Ishag was arrested at 9 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 27, along the 9400 block of Glenaire Court and booked for investigation of attempted murder of a police officer, jail records show. His bail is $1 million.

Deputies were summoned to the house at 1:26 p.m. by a caller who said his son was under the influence of meth and was having a bi-polar episode, sheriff’s officials said in a written statement.

The caller also said his son had a sword in his bedroom and feared for his safety.

When deputies entered the front door, Ishag charged the deputies with a sword, while yelling “Allah Akbar,” according to the statement. Deputies used a less than lethal shotgun.

I’d correct the journalist to note that there is no such thing as a “less than lethal shotgun.” The firearm used was a standard 12-gauge shotgun using one of a variety of less-lethal rounds. “Less-lethal” rounds can still kill at short range such as inside a residential home. It all comes down to the specific less-lethal ammunition selection and shot placement.

The deputy seems to have shown admirable concentration (and maybe a little luck) to put the shot where it would bring down the suspect but not kill him. Istag was treated at the local hospital for injuries sustained by the beanbag and is now sitting in jail.