Police Arrest Man after Dundalk Barricade Incident

UPDATE (11 p.m.)—Baltimore County police say they have arrested the man who barricaded himself in an industrial building Wednesday after fleeing Kmart and breaking into a Colgate home, causing a disturbance that sent nearby Colgate Elementary School into lockdown.

Authorities had the man in custody at approximately 6:40 p.m., according to a statement from the Baltimore County Police Department.

The arrest followed nearly four hours of police activity in the area, sparked by what officials said was a call about a "disturbance" at the Kmart on North Point Boulevard.

After the police were called to Kmart at 2:28 p.m., the suspect fled to a house on the 7700 block of Eastdale Road, where he used a rock to gain entry into the house, police said.

Nobody was at the house, where the man left through the back door, police said.

He ran to a beer distribution center on the 7600 block of Canton Center Drive and refused to come out, said police.

One employee at the Winner Distributing Company told The Baltimore Sun that a man ran into an office there, holding his neck, and barricaded himself inside.

Police initially believed the man had taken a hostage and was armed. Officials said that "no one was with him when police arrested him" Wednesday night.

During the investigation, Kmart was evacuated and its parking lot cordoned off, according to The Baltimore Sun, as special operations teams used the area for staging.

At approximately 3 p.m., Colgate Elementary School went into lockdown as advised by police, said Chief Communications Officer for the Baltimore County Public School System Mychael Dickerson. 

School was dismissed at 4:45 p.m., according to the Colgate Improvement Association, which cautioned: "Please be careful, as this situation has not yet been resolved."

At 5:30 p.m., police said the remaining 250 students who walk to school were allowed to leave and all arrived home safely.

The identity of the man involved has not been released, and police said the investigation continues.

This article was updated after police provided a different location for the address than originally reported.

Stay with Dundalk Patch for updates.