Image Credit: Screenshot / Witness Video via Local 10 
A man brandishing a machete was shot and killed by police after he took a woman hostage during a tense standoff in South Florida last week, according to reports.
The disturbing incident unfolded at around 1:30 p.m. on Thursday afternoon in North Miami Beach.
Authorities were alerted about a man wielding a machete in a street near a medical office building.
Responding officers encountered 38-year-old Edridge Alexis, a man with an extensive criminal history who was most recently released from jail last month, Local 10 reports.
In footage shot by a witness from inside a nearby office, Alexis can be seen ignoring orders to drop the weapon, instead putting it to his own throat.
Alexis reportedly charged into a nearby building and attempted to force entry into multiple offices as employees and guests barricaded themselves inside.
Alexis then grabbed a woman in the lobby who was there for a medical appointment and held the blade to her throat, authorities say.
After he continued to ignore stand-down commands, police were reportedly forced to open fire, killing Alexis.
His hostage escaped without serious physical injury.
Family members of the deceased suspect were the first to notify police after he threatened them with the weapon during a domestic dispute, according to the Miami Herald.
They say Alexis had a history of “mental issues,” but don’t believe police actions were justified.
“He’s a good guy. They can’t tell me he had a machete and tried to cut people throat,” the suspect’s brother told NBC6. “Nah, he ain’t like that.”
“They’re lying. Just be real about (it)… say you killed someone.”
A spokesperson for the property manager of the building where the shooting took place told local media that surveillance footage fully corroborates the sequence of events authorities have described.
An investigation is ongoing.
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