A 49-year-old Colonie man was taken into custody Wednesday morning after barricading himself inside his Tattersall Lane home for nearly five hours, threatening to burn the house down and telling officers he wanted police to kill him. Scott D. Tomback was arrested at 9:51 a.m. following a standoff that began before dawn and drew a heavy police response to the Village of Colonie neighborhood.
Police received reports that a man was armed with a knife and attempting to commit suicide, and officers responded to 6 Tattersall Lane at approximately 4:22 a.m., according to Newport Dispatch. Responding officers found Tomback alone inside the residence, where he refused to leave and made statements about wanting to “commit suicide by cop.” During the hours that followed, he exited the home several times and was observed with an unknown type of firearm in his waistband, per the same account.
Fire Set in Backyard During Tense Hours
At some point during the standoff, Tomback threatened to burn the home down and was seen starting a small fire in the rear yard, the report states. He stayed in contact with police negotiators throughout the ordeal, and officers eventually recovered a pellet pistol after his arrest, which investigators believe was the weapon seen tucked in his waistband.
Colonie Police Chief James Gerace offered a similar account of the morning's events, telling News10 that Tomback had set a fire behind his home, was threatening to set fire to the house itself, stated that he wanted Colonie Police to kill him, and was armed with a gun in his waistband. The standoff prompted a large police presence and road closures in the area, which has since reopened, the station's report notes.
Domestic Calls and Protection Order Preceded Standoff
Tomback had recently been the subject of domestic-related calls at the address, and officers were aware of an existing court order of protection tied to the residence. Multiple agencies converged on the scene, including the Troy Police Department Emergency Response Team, the New York State Police K-9 Unit, Colonie Emergency Medical Services, the Village of Colonie Fire Company and Dr. Warren Hayashi.
Tomback was ultimately charged with first-degree criminal contempt, third-degree criminal mischief, second-degree criminal contempt, fifth-degree arson and seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. Under New York law, criminal contempt in the first degree is classified as a class E felony, according to the New York State Senate. Fifth-degree arson applies when a person intentionally damages another's property without consent by starting a fire or causing an explosion, per the New York State Senate.
He was arraigned in Colonie Town Court and remanded to the Albany County Correctional Facility, the original report states.
Standoff Reignites Concerns Over Mental-Health Response
The Tattersall Lane standoff, along with several other mental-health calls, has raised concerns within the Colonie Police Department about how crisis response and aftercare function in the region. Chief Gerace described a fractured mental health infrastructure in the Capital Region, pointing to gaps in how people in crisis are treated and monitored after police involvement ends.
Gerace said that when someone is committed to the Albany County Correctional Facility following an incident like this one, they usually will order a mental health evaluation in these particular cases. He cited a separate, unrelated case in which a young woman arrested after attempting to take her own life was released from Albany Medical Center within 12 hours of being brought there for care — an outcome he pointed to as emblematic of the system's strain. Albany Medical Center said it is in full compliance with all state and local laws regarding its protocols for treating people in mental-health crises.
