On Sunday, April 5, Colonie police and the Special Services SWAT team responded to a call from a concerned family member of a man who had barricaded himself in his basement apartment on Sand Creek Road, threatening to hurt himself, police said.
According to Detective Lt. John VanAlstyne, the incident began with the phone call at about 11:40 a.m. and ended at about 3 p.m. at 535 Sand Creek Road. After the family member had contacted a psychiatric center, the psychiatric center then contacted Colonie police, VanAlstyne said, after the man, whose name, age and description are not being released by police, had made threats of hurting himself after he had been drinking, VanAlstyne said.
`So, the SWAT team and negotiators responded to the address and tried to negotiate with [the man],` said VanAlstyne, who said the man inside the apartment was unresponsive to negotiators.
`The decision then was made to use tear gas that was deployed into the apartment,` VanAlstyne said.
Shortly after the tear gas was deployed, VanAlstyne said the man came outside of his apartment.
`After that point, he came outside and he was taken into custody and brought to the Capital District Psychiatric Center,` VanAlstyne said.
The man’s name is not being released, VanAlstyne said, because he is not being charged and there were no injuries to any person, including himself.
`He’s not under arrest and there’s really no benefit to anyone knowing his identity,` he said.
VanAlstyne said there were probably about 15 SWAT team members that responded to the scene, as well as about ten regular patrol officers.
For more on this story, check back at www.spotlightnews.com, or read the Wednesday, April 8 print edition of the Colonie Spotlight.
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