Roxborough man surrenders to police after barricading himself, reportedly armed, in Delmar St. bathroom
4 p.m. update: A Roxborough man was safely taken into police custody Friday afternoon after barricading himself inside his Delmar Street home.
At approximately 1:20 p.m., the Philadelphia Police Department SWAT team, along with members of the 5th and 39th Police Districts, responded to a house on the 300 block of Delmar Street in Roxborough for reports of a barricaded male.
Captain John Cerrone, commanding officer of the 5th District, could not identify the man, but said a “domestic issue” had taken place between the male, aged 47, and female head of the household earlier that afternoon.
Police say, following the dispute, the male threatened to harm himself, and took a barricaded position inside the home’s second floor bathroom reportedly armed with a handgun. At approximately 2:10 p.m., the male exited the home on his own volition unarmed. No injuries to the man, his wife, or their children were reported.
He was taken into custody and will be interviewed by Northwest Detectives. Cerrone said he will likely undergo a mental health examination.
A safe police operation
A gunshot was reported to have been fired prior to the arrival of police, but Cerrone was unable to confirm this on Friday afternoon.
Throughout the standoff, Cerrone said that police officials maintained communications with the barricaded male throughout.
“Subsequently,” said Cerrone, “he realized that there was no point in doing something like this.”
“This individual has had some mental health issues in the past,” said Cerrone, “but the family is hopeful that maybe he can get some help in trying to resolve those issues.”
Early signs of trouble
According to neighbors, there were some indications of trouble yesterday.
Roseanne Barnes, who lives around the corner from where the incident took place, said, “We all know him.”
“Last night he was carrying on terribly – riding up and down the streets like he was furious,” said Barnes. “And then we find out today that this happened.”
“When he usually does that, he’s mad,” she added. “He’s like that and they fight a lot.”
Another bystander, who did not identify himself to Newsworks, said a family member told him that the barricaded man got in a fight with his wife prior to the standoff.
“He wanted the cops to kill him,” explained the bystander. “He took a shot at the wall thinking they would shoot him.”
William Bailey, a nearby resident, was taken aback by the episode, saying that the family was “good people,” who didn’t bother anybody.
“I can’t believe it,” he said. “This is nuts.”
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