Police Officer Commended For Disarming Knife-Wielding Man In Abington

ABINGTON TOWNSHIP, PA — The man had a knife. And someone was screaming.

Abington Township Police Officer Adrian DeAngelo had responded alone to the report of a man armed with a knife.

His handling of the situation earned DeAngelo with a commendation recently from the Abington Township Police Department.

Police did not state when and where the incident took place.

When DeAngelo arrived on the scene, he could hear screaming from inside the building.

A witness told him that a man armed with the knife was on the second-floor stairwell and there was a neighbor with him, who was possibly in danger.

After the man refused to come outside, Officer DeAngelo entered the building. As he found the neighbor who had a cane and could not leave the building on their own, the officer tried to help.

The armed man then came down the stairs to confront the police officer.

Despite his "agitated behavior and apparent hallucinations," Officer DeAngelo issued repeated verbal commands, and finally persuaded the man to drop the knife.

He restrained the suspect until other police officers arrived.

Police later determined that the man had experienced a mental health crisis and was transported to the hospital for treatment.

"As a result of Officer DeAngelo's swift, courageous, tactically sound, and carefully measured response, there were no injuries to bystanders, police, or the suspect," officials said.