A call to Rochester police about a possibly suicidal male sparked a nearly five-hour standoff, ending peacefully with a man taken into protective custody.
Officers responded about 5 p.m. Wednesday to the apartment building at 912 N. Broadway, where the man lives in an apartment facing the street.
"The complainant indicated the person may be in possession of weapons," Capt. Brian Winters said this morning, "and had barricaded his door in the past."
The man also has a history of mental health concerns and chemical abuse, Winters said, leading responding officers to exercise extreme caution.
"He had apparently cautioned others that if anybody came to the door, not only would he kill himself, but anyone who would intervene, including members of law enforcement," Winters said.
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Precautions included evacuating the apartment building and closing busy Broadway Avenue, as well as activating the department's Emergency Response Unit and Crisis Negotiations Unit, he said, "to get the man to surrender without putting anybody at risk."
North Broadway was closed from Seventh Street north to 14th Street and West Silver Lake Drive. As the night stretched on, officers maneuvered around the apartment in the rain.
Officers were able to deploy a negotiations phone to the man, Winters said, but he didn't answer it. About 9:45 p.m., a distraction device was deployed inside his apartment, which resulted in "no response" from the man.
"Officers found him, highly intoxicated and disoriented," Winters said. "He was taken into protective custody and taken to Saint Marys Hospital."
No businesses were evacuated, he said, "but they may have been disrupted" as a result of closing Broadway.
"We're obviously not doing our job if we don't protect the individual and provide the care he needs in a manner that provides the best safety for citizens, too," Winters said of the precautions taken.
"If that means rerouting traffic from a busy roadway, that's what we'll do," he said.
Gloria Amous, who lives in the apartment building, waited out the event at a nearby convenience store.
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Amous said she got a call from her landlord, who told her she had to evacuate the building. She said one of the building's residents reportedly had a rifle and was threatening to shoot anyone who came near. Amous said the man has had disputes with neighbors before.
It's unlikely the man will face criminal charges, Winters said.
"There was no action on his part that constitutes a crime," he said. "The threats alone don't constitute criminal threats."
No weapons were shown; there were no injuries reported.
