Milford Police Stop Turns Into Standoff As Man Threatens Own Life

MILFORD, MA — Milford police and state troopers ended up in a standoff with a man who threatened to cut his own throat last week following a traffic stop in town.

The incident began last Thursday night when Milford police tried to pull over a 35-year-old Southbridge man driving an SUV. The man drove away from police, entering I-495 southbound at Route 109.

The man crashed along the highway, and emerged from his SUV with a knife, police said. He put the blade to his throat and threatened to stab himself if police approached him. The man also told police he had guns and propane tanks in his vehicle.

The state police bomb squad and police negotiators responded to the scene. Troopers used robots to approach the vehicle during the standoff. At one point, the man tried to drive away, but troopers used "distraction techniques that had the intended outcome of making the suspect cease his attempt to drive away," state police said.

Police were eventually able to convince the man to put down the knife and surrender. He was taken to Milford Regional Medical Center for treatment, police said.