Brookline Hours-Long Standoff Ends With Surrender

BROOKLINE, MA — A man seen carrying knives and showing erratic behavior barricaded himself in a Sewell Street apartment for four hours on Friday before surrendering to police, Brookline police said.

Police said they responded to the report of a man acting suspiciously with knives in the hallway of the apartment building at about 3:30 p.m. and that officers saw he had a knife as he locked himself in his apartment.

Police said the man did not respond to attempts to communicate and that they were able to gain access to the apartment through the building management. A SRT robot was used and a pepper ball was deployed. Police said the man then locked himself in the bathroom but that they were able to establish communication with him at that point.

The man then discarded his knives and came out of the bathroom at about 7:30, at which time he was taken into custody.

Police said he was taken to Beth Israel Hospital for evaluation Friday night and at that time it was "not yet clear if he will face any charges related to the events of tonight."