SWAT Standoff Lasts 12 Hours In Cleveland Heights

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OH — SWAT officers took a 42-year-old Cleveland Heights man into custody on Friday after a more than 12 hour standoff. The resident had threatened to hurt other people after he was evicted from his home on Belmar Road.

The incident started at 10 a.m. on Friday. in the 1600 block of Belmar Road. Officers were sent to check on the welfare of a resident on the third floor of an apartment building. The man, Szilard Takacs, had reportedly sent several emails threatening to harm other residents after he got an eviction order.

Police arrived and tried to make contact with Takacs, but the 42-year-old refused to speak with anyone. He then barricaded himself inside his home.

That's when police called both the SWAT team and negotiators to the scene. The Cleveland Heights Fire Department and Bomb Squad were also called to the scene as a precautionary measure and because police found suspicious materials near Takacs' residence.

Negotiators tried for several hours to open lines of communication with the 42-year-old, but weren't able to get the man to talk to them. So, at 1:30 a.m. on Saturday, SWAT got onto the third floor of the Belmar apartment building.

The SWAT team found Takacs barricaded in his bathroom, Cleveland Heights Police Chief Annette Mecklenburg said. Officers were then able to speak with Takacs and convince him to turn himself in without further incident.

Takacs is being charged with inducing panic and is currently in police custody. Detectives are still investigating the incident. Additional charges are expected to be filed against the 42-year-old, Mecklenburg said.

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