New calls to drop charges after 30-hour police standoff in Ypsilanti
There are new calls to drop criminal charges that resulted from a 30-hour police standoff in Ypsilanti, Michigan, with supporters saying the incident was a mental health crisis.
The Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners issued a statement Jan. 9 saying it was "deeply troubled" by the law enforcement response and charges that resulted, saying that public comments from residents during their Jan. 7 meeting illustrated a scene of "a person experiencing a clear mental health crisis."
With that, the county commissioners are asking that all criminal charges be dropped.
A community letter supported by dozens of Ypsilanti-area residents, sent to the Ypsilanti Police Department and other law enforcement agencies, related some of the disruptions that neighbors dealt with and urged the adoption of a mental health-oriented response plan to relevant emergencies.
The circumstances involved an armed, 53-year-old man who had barricaded himself into the attic of a home on West Cross Street was safely taken into custody Jan. 5 after a standoff that lasted for more than 30 hours.
The situation had resulted in evacuations for some neighbors and a shelter-in-place order for others as authorities tried to bring an end to the stalemate.
Police say that he was armed with a sword at one point, and cameras caught the scene as something was thrown out of a window. The Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office Crisis Response Team, Michigan State Police and the Metro SWAT team were called to assist the Ypsilanti Police Department at the scene.
No one was physically injured as the incident ended, Ypsilanti police said.
As the investigation continued into what the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office said Jan. 8 was an "ongoing criminal matter," a flurry of calls for dismissal of any charges also arose.
"The community deserves to know - what exactly happened and why," said Michigan Senator Jeff Irwin, a Democrat from Ann Arbor whose 15th senate district includes Ypsilanti.
The county commissioners said in their letter, "Despite several attempts to get support before Sunday, January 4th, there was a clear breakdown between 911 dispatch and local law enforcement that did not result in any prior Community Mental Health outreach. We ask that all law enforcement agencies involved to engage in thoughtful conversation about responses that prioritize mental health, safety and dignity."
Washtenaw County Metro Dispatch, in its response to the board of commissioners' statement, said there had been three separate calls to that location prior to Jan. 4, none of which involved a request for Community Mental Health to go to the scene.
Furthermore, any requests that 911 dispatchers handle for Washtenaw County Community Mental Health services need to come from first responders who are on the scene, the agency said.