Police brought an almost five-hour siege today to a safe conclusion, despite alleged threats to kill police officers with knives.
Police said a man known to
them locked himself in a Thurla Street home and threatened to injure police with
knives if they came anywhere near the house.
Sergeant Rami Derbas said
the family of the man initially had concerns for his mental state, after he
stayed at the house on his own for the last two days.
The family had
concerns about recent drug use, hence concerns for his welfare,” Sergeant Rami
Derbas said.
“They’d gone around to collect some clothing, at which point
the man became enraged, smashed property and a vehicle, and the family called
police.
At 9.15am yesterday police entered “a siege situation” with
Ambulance put on standby and additional police blocking passing traffic at
Chapman and Cadel Streets.
Expertise in the Police’s Critical Incident
Response Team *(CIRT) were called from Melbourne as well as two police
negotiators.
But the man gave himself up upon CIRT’s attendance about 2pm
and he was transported to hospital for a mental health assessment.
Sergeant
Derbas said, pending the results of the assessment, the man could be charged
with threats to kill police, inflicting serious injury and assault with weapons,
being two knives.
