Over the weekend, a situation that could have escalated into a major tragedy instead resolved without injury in Harper Woods. As reported by WWJ Newsradio, police responded to a call on Saturday evening about a 57-year-old man who had locked himself in his basement with a loaded rifle.
The Harper Woods Police Department was dispatched to the area of Woodland at Kelly, near Moross and 8 Mile, at approximately 6:30 p.m., following a distress call from the man's wife. The man, who was experiencing a mental health crisis, was reportedly off his medications for several months, officers said. The wife, in an act of prudent caution, evacuated the home before contacting the authorities.
To manage the tense situation, the Eastern Wayne County Special Response Team was brought on the scene. As detailed by The Detroit News, they utilized a loudspeaker to communicate with the man and eventually persuaded him to exit the home peacefully around 7:45 p.m.
After the man complied with their orders, police took him into protective custody and later committed him to a local hospital for mental health evaluation. "The mentally distressed husband was ordered out of the (house) via loudspeaker and complied," the Harper Woods Police statement read. The officers who conducted the search of his abode discovered the rifle in the basement and seized it to ensure it posed no further threat, according to WWJ Newsradio.
Coverage by FOX 2 Detroit affirmed that the incident concluded without physical injuries to anyone involved.
