Suicide threat sparks police standoff

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Suicide threat sparks police standoff
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A suicidal man is in stable condition at Alexandria Hospital after authorities broke down his apartment door following a police standoff Monday that lasted nearly 11 hours.    

The police barricade of The Reserve apartment complex at the 100 block of Luna Park Drive began about 3:30 a.m., said department spokesman Jody Donaldson. A roommate phoned authorities after the man made suicidal statements and dead-bolted himself alone in the apartment, Donaldson said.

The roommate told police the unnamed man owns multiple handguns. Unable to make contact and unsure whether he was armed, authorities called in the Strategic Operations Team essentially a SWAT force and set up a command post about 7 a.m., police said. 

Authorities did not initially evacuate neighbors but did so for their own safety before the standoff ended, according to Donaldson. The Cora Kelly elementary school gymnasium was set up as a shelter for displaced persons, though one used the refuge.

At about 2:15 p.m. the SOT broke down the apartment door and found the man unresponsive, Donaldson said. Officials do not yet know how or why the man lost consciousness.

Neighbors were frustrated with the heavy police presence more than 20 cruisers, according to one neighbor who would not give his name because he often works with law enforcement. He woke up to a melee of police cars and officers, and no one could tell him or other neighbors what kind of danger they were in, if any.

If this guys really dangerous, I dont care about this guys privacy, he said. The residents security is much more important than this guys privacy.

The unidentified subject was still on the hospital on Wednesday and was not charged with a crime.

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