Video courtesy of Citizen

Users of the Citizens App reported on Thursday, July 8, at around 7.24 a.m. that police and specialized police units were responding to a report of “a man brandishing a gun on a vehicle in front of a police precinct building located at 2877 Barkley Avenue.” The 45th precinct is based at this location in Throg’s Neck.

 

Users later reported that police said the armed man was sitting on top of a silver SUV located at Barkley Avenue and E Tremont Avenue. At 8.40, Breaking News Network later reported that the police were responding to a potential bomb threat and stand-off at the same location.

 

They later reported that police were blocking off the streets within a two-block radius of the police precinct and were also evacuating people from nearby businesses and buildings. One video shows what looked to be members of a SWAT-type team unloading equipment from a car outside Gourmet Diner, while another showed police tape cordoning off what appeared to be a street in a residential area.

Video courtesy of Citizen

In an another update, Citizen users advised that police had ordered that public traffic and pedestrians be prevented from entering the area, and that they had expanded the perimeter of the blocked streets, closing E Tremont Avenue at Bruckner Boulevard.

 

At around 8 a.m., Citizen users reported that police called for additional police tactical units and that a police department armored vehicle responded to the scene.

 

Users later reported that police advised that a man had been taken into custody and that police were also searching a vehicle and taking it into custody.

 

At around 8.42 a.m., users reported that police advised that no additional specialized response was needed.

 

Norwood News contacted the NYPD to corroborate the details of this reported incident. NYPD officials later held a press briefing on Thursday, which can be viewed below.

Watch as Chief Wedin, from @NYPDSpecialops, speaks about the response of @nypd45pct and Emergency Service Unit officers earlier today to a man with a gun suffering a personal crisis in the Bronx, who was safely taken into custody without incident. pic.twitter.com/tlzKBbd87O

— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) July 8, 2021

Officials confirmed there were no injuries arising from the incident, and that the man taken into custody was later brought to Jacobi hospital for evaluation. The vehicle was also cleared of any safety hazards. They added that the investigation was ongoing.

 

It was subsequently confirmed that the armed man in question appeared to be either emotionally disturbed or potentially under the influence of something and that he had held police at bay for over an hour before eventually dropping his gun at which point police were able to take him into custody.

 

Police had used an MTA bus and tractor-trailer to shut off various streets and side streets leading to the affected area. During the subsequent press conference, chief of special operations, Harry Wedin, said, “Today is a good day. There was a tense situation here, this morning, by an individual armed with a gun, experiencing some type of personal crisis.”

 

Joining Wedin at the press conference was special operations duty captain, Christopher Giordano and Captain Isaac Soberal, the commanding officer of the 45th Precinct, who told members of the media, “Uniformed officers of the 45th Precinct became aware of an individual who parked a silver SUV in the middle of the intersection. The individual emerged from the sunroof and appeared to be holding a beer in one hand and a firearm in the other.”

 

Soberal said the as yet unidentified man had refused to follow officers’ commands during the standoff, adding, “The man appeared somewhat disoriented and did not comply.”

Meanwhile, Giordano confirmed his unit had been called to the scene and had secured the main intersection in the vicinity of the incident with vehicles and officers. The team had also established an observation point from the roof of the 45th precinct, where officers were able to confirm that the man had indeed been armed.

 

He said, “Using ballistic shields, ESU officers approached the individual’s vehicle from the rear, in an effort to begin a dialogue. The man was not very responsive and did not offer any explanation for what he was doing or why he was there.”

 

About an hour into the standoff, Giordano said the suspect discharged a round that struck a nearby, unoccupied police van. “He (the suspect) was not struck and no others were struck,” adding that the man appeared to be “startled” by the handgun going off. According to Giordano, the man then proceeded to lie down on the roof of the vehicle.

 

Giordano concluded, “Officers from the observation post saw him drop the firearm into the vehicle through the open sunroof. At that point emergency service officers once again approached the vehicle, this time taking the man into custody without incident.”

 

It was at that point, the man was transported to Jacobi Hospital for psychiatric evaluation and as a precaution, the vehicle was swept for additional weapons and explosives by the NYPD’s bomb squad. It was eventually cleared as no explosives or additional weapons were found.

 

Asked about the man’s demeanor at the time he was taken into custody, Wedin said the suspect had been crying.

 

Reaction from the public on Twitter afterwards was mixed. John Doyle of Jacobi Hospital tweeted, “I just want to send a quick thanks to the @NYPD45Pct. They de-escalated a dangerous conflict without any injuries. Thank you!”

 

Tiredmommy76 also tweeted his reaction, saying, “Thank God it ended well, but I’m extremely upset you allowed a school that is one block away to open up and receive children while the suspect was still not in custody.”

 

A second Twitter user, TavRolls, said, “School should have been locked down.” Norwood News has reached out to the NYPD for comment.