Man taken into custody after standoff amid apartment fire in Washtenaw County
Police and crisis negotiating team members were on scene for hours at a apartment in Ypsilanti Township, Michigan, until a barricaded man could be taken into custody as a fire started to spread in the building.
There were no reported injuries to anyone on scene; fire damage is believed to be limited to that unit.
The individual was taken to a local hospital for evaluation, the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office reported.
The standoff started about 12:44 p.m. Wednesday in an apartment in the 2900 block of Roundtree Boulevard, when a family member reported a 36-year-old man was having a mental health crisis.
Washtenaw County deputies arrived and tried to talk to the man, but he refused to speak to them or open the door. He also barricaded the door.
For the next few hours, members of the Washtenaw County Crisis Negotiation Team and Co-Response Unit attempted communications. However, he still refused to leave the apartment.
At one point, there was smoke and fire coming from the apartment that forced him onto the balcony. "However, he still refused to come down and come out," the report said.
With assistance from Ypsilanti Township Fire Department, Washtenaw Metro SWAT and mental health workers on scene, first responders finally got the man down from the balcony to safety while the firefighters put out the blaze.
The incident remains under investigation.
