Residents are still grappling with the events that took place over the weekend where an Ambler native was shot by police on the 100 block of Forest Avenue near School Street.
The violent scene came to a fatal end on Saturday, April 26, when 43-year-old Robert Aguilar Cholula was shot after ignoring police officers' commands to drop a butcher-style knife.
“It’s just a really tricky, sensitive situation," said one witness who was interviewed on Fox 29. "Definitely scary for it to happen in our neighborhood. It’s unfortunate it went down like that, but the cops did the best they could do…It’s just sad to see stuff play out like this.”
According to witnesses, Cholula was seen pacing up and down the street and eventually charged at officers while wielding a knife. Neighbors praised police officers for their quick-thinking actions.
“He walked kind of back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, and it’s scary," said one witness who was interviewed on Fox 29. "So I went back into the house. The police did everything they could.”
Officers tried to deescalate the situation by demanding Chilula to drop the knife.
“He must have said it 20-plus times, he just kept saying it over and over, 'Put it on the ground, put it on the ground': said another witness in the interview. "It’s heartbreaking. But the police, I’m just so grateful.”
Incident Report
The shooting occurred involved a suicidal suspect armed with two knives, police said. According to Montgomery County emergency dispatch, a call came in at 7:40 p.m. for a man who told police he wanted to die and had knives in his hand.
The officer was not injured in the incident, police said.
The Montgomery County Detective Bureau is handling the investigation per department protocol.
