BOSTON (WHDH) – A suspect has been taken into custody following a police standoff that closed a part of Boston for about seven hours on Tuesday.
The public was told to avoid the area of Albany Street between East Berkeley and Malden streets in the South End beginning around 9:40 a.m. after officers stopped a man on a warrant but determined that he was armed.
“I ran over there to see what was going on and he started waving a gun around and he was threatening the police, telling them he wanted them to kill him and that he wasn’t coming off that field alive.”
Officers and SWAT members spent the day negotiating with the man at Rotch Field, which is not far from the Emerson College Campus. A nearby building had to be evacuated to ensure that those inside stayed safe.
Video from the scene showed several police cruisers, armored vehicles, and ambulances parked in the neighborhood throughout the duration of the standoff.
Police used nonlethal force to take the man into custody and a loaded firearm was found on the field.
“Dirstactionary devices were first used and the suspect was also struck by multiple, less-lethal rounds fired by SWAT personnel,” police said.
The suspect’s father and sister, both concerned about his safety, made their way to the scene and told reporters he suffers from a mental illness.
“His mother died; his brother died. So, you know, that probably took a toll on him,” said his father, Ernest Jones. “My son’s a good guy. You know, he’s just going through problems, you know? He needs a little bit of help.”
The suspect was transported by ambulance to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and for evaluation just after 5 p.m.
There were no additional details immediately available.
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