A police standoff with a man armed with a sword continues this hour in Ypsilanti. A 53-year-old man barricaded himself inside a residence in the 1100 block of West Cross Street Sunday after a dispute with his neighbors.
The Ypsilanti Police Department was called out due to an ongoing neighbor dispute where somebody was banging on doors with what they thought was initially a long stick. When officers were on scene, they saw that it was a sword, then the person confronted the officers with the sword. So they tactfully retreated, set up a perimeter, and then that is when crisis negotiation and Metro SWAT was called out.
Washtenaw County Sheriff Alyshia Dyer says the Washtenaw County Metro SWAT and Crisis/Negotiation teams remain on scene as they try to talk the man down.
“We never want to rush these situations. They've been out there for hours. We've been continuing to negotiate. My hope is this will be resolved soon. But, you know, unfortunately, we just don't know. It is an evolving scene. We just ask the public to remain patient as we work together with our crisis negotiation team to peacefully resolve this matter.”
Officers have cleared part of the residence as efforts to negotiate with the man continue. It is unknown if additional weapons may be present in the home.
Sheriff Dyer says there is no threat to nearby residents or the community, but police ask residents to avoid West Cross Street between Summit and Westmoreland Streets until further notice.
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