Police Standoff Ends Peacefully

An early morning standoff with Milwaukee police has ended peacefully.  Milwaukee Police were called  to a house in the area of S 17th Street and W Grant Avenue around midnight this morning where a man believed to be armed had taken refuge and was refusing to come out.  Because it was believed the family in the house was a risk, a police tactical unit was dispatched to the scene and negotiators attempted to talk to the individual throughout the morning.  Around 4 AM police entered the building and were able to take the man into custody without incident and without anyone being injured.

According to Milwaukee Police Captain Jutiki Jackson the man is well known to police and has a history of mental illness.  “The subject is described as a 21- year-old male, who we believe, is suffering from some type of a mental health illness," said Captain Jackson, "He will be conveyed to a local hospital where he will receive a mental evaluation.”  

Eric Donaldson a MPD Crisis Negotiator said officers are trained for this kind of situation. "The primary goal is to bring somebody who is in crisis, who's in a high emotional state, bring them back down to a rational level of thinking,” Donaldson said. “That could be anyone, not just someone with a diagnosed mental illness. It could be anyone experiencing a crisis in their life."