Hours-long police standoff ends in Mount Vernon

A miscommunication led to an hours-long standoff with police in Mount Vernon Wednesday, according to officials.

News 12 Staff

Dec 20, 2018, 1:16 AM

Updated 2,142 days ago

Share:

A miscommunication led to an hours-long standoff with police in Mount Vernon Wednesday, according to officials.
Police say they believed a mentally unstable man was armed with a gun and barricaded himself inside an apartment building on South Columbus Avenue. But the man was found in another building nearby later in the day at an address authorities would not disclose.
The man has been taken into custody. Authorities say he called police Wednesday afternoon and told them he was armed and suicidal, but apparently he wasn't clear on his actual address.
Police say they surrounded the apartment building at the corner of Route 22 and East Fourth Street with guns drawn, using a loudspeaker to address the man by the name Calvin. They asked him to come out with his hands up, saying they wouldn't leave without him.
Officials say the man eventually made contact with them and they remedied the situation.
"We communicated with him. We were able to de-escalate the situation and we had a peaceful resolution," says Police Commissioner Shawn Harris.
Police have not released any more information about where and how the man was found. He was taken into custody at Mount Vernon police headquarters.