Report Of Woman Waving Hammer And Knife At Passing Cars

NEW ROCHELLE, NY — A potentially dangerous situation involving a woman who was reportedly brandishing weapons at strangers in the street yesterday was resolved with conversations and de-escalation techniques rather than force.

On Tuesday, shortly before 3 p.m., the New Rochelle Police Department began receiving calls about a woman standing in the street in the South End of New Rochelle, waving a hammer and a knife at passing cars.

The New Rochelle Police Critical Incident Unit responded to the scene, but found that the woman had already walked back into her nearby apartment building. She refused to open the door when they arrived at the home.

Officers in the Critical Incident Unit, who are specially trained in dealing with persons with mental health issues, recognized signs of this woman being in crisis. As officers began trying to talk with the woman and attempted to convince her to open the door, they also contacted members of the Westchester County Crisis team as well as personnel from Human Development Services of Westchester to help bring the tense situation to a safe conclusion.

Officials say the collaborative effort was successful and the woman was taken to the hospital for mental health treatment and counseling without injury to her or the officers involved.