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Police: Armed man taken into custody after hours-long standoff in Surprise

Posted at 5:47 PM, Feb 15, 2022
and last updated 2022-02-15 21:07:45-05

SURPRISE, AZ — Surprise police say an hours-long standoff has come to end Tuesday evening.

Police say an armed man barricaded himself inside his home at 8 a.m. near West Greenway Road and North Cotton Lane. He was taken into custody around 7 p.m., according to officials.

The Surprise Police Mobile Command Center was set up about a half-mile away from the scene.

Police say a neighbor called 911 saying a man was waving around a large hunting knife at people in cars.

Officials say that man eventually went back inside his home when more officers arrived. Police say the man also threw rocks at authorities.

Police tell ABC15 they have dealt with this man multiple times in the past. They believe he was struggling with a mental health crisis and there was at least one gun in his house.

Sgt. Tommy Hale with the Surprise Police Department says, "I can tell you that we've had at least 10 incidents from January, involving this individual and different misdemeanor acts or just different outlandish behavior that has concerned the community.”

Several agencies and their tactical teams were at the command center assisting Surprise police.

Agencies took turns negotiating with the man to ensure the situation ended peacefully. Many of these officers are trained in crisis prevention.

Officials have not released the man’s identity.

This situation comes on the heels of the ambush and shooting incident that happened Friday with Phoenix Police where nine officers were injured.