A tense armed standoff near San Francisco's Embarcadero and Brannan streets shut down a busy stretch of the waterfront and clogged traffic for hours yesterday before police negotiators safely took a woman into custody, according to city officials.
What officials said
The San Francisco Police Department said officers first responded shortly before midday and encountered a woman who was armed, threatening to harm herself and refusing to follow commands. The department's Hostage/Crisis Negotiation Team was called in and worked the scene as officers warned people to steer clear of the area, according to NBC Bay Area.
Emergency crews on scene
The San Francisco Fire Department reported around 12:40 PM that the woman was carrying a gun, prompting a coordinated response from both police and fire crews, as detailed by KTVU. The city's Department of Emergency Management also issued an advisory urging the public to avoid Embarcadero and Brannan while the situation remained active, according to SFist.
Scene cleared and roads reopened
By mid-afternoon, negotiators had resolved the standoff. Police said the woman was taken into custody and transported to a hospital for a medical evaluation, and streets near Embarcadero and Brannan were reopened, per an update from SFGATE. Authorities asked anyone with information about the incident to call the SFPD tip line at 415-575-4444 or to text TIP411, beginning the message with "SFPD," according to NBC Bay Area.
Why negotiators matter
The SFPD's Hostage/Crisis Negotiation Team is charged with opening lines of communication and seeking peaceful resolutions in barricade and suicide-threat situations, the department has said in previous releases. Past SFPD accounts describe negotiators working alongside firefighters and other specialized units to bring multi-hour standoffs to an end without injuries, according to the San Francisco Police Department.
