Butcher Knife-Wielding Woman Gives Up After Holding Police At Bay Overnight
DETROIT (WWJ) - Detroit police say a woman has surrendered after barricading herself inside a home on the city's east side overnight.
The woman gave herself up just before 8 a.m. Tuesday after a standoff that began around 11:30 p.m. Monday at a home on the corner of Bradford Avenue and Kennebec Street, not far from the city airport.
Reporting live from the scene, WWJ's Ron Dewey said the special response team broke through the home's front window after being held at bay for hours. Not long after, the woman was escorted out of the home and into an ambulance. Police say she will be held at the hospital for observation.
Police Commander Elvin Barren said the incident began after the woman's family was trying to get her to go to a mental health facility. The woman refused and her family called police for assistance.
When police arrived at the home, the woman held them off with a butcher knife and barricaded herself inside the home.
Barren said a negotiating team tried several tactics to get the woman out of her home throughout the night, adding that tear gas was not successful. He said the woman refused to speak by phone, so officers used a loudspeaker to communicate.
No injuries were reported.