Updated January 07, 2026, 2:52 pm
A police standoff in Ypsilanti ended late Monday with the suspect taken safely into custody. There have since been questions raised by members of the community about the level of police response to the crisis.
The standoff on West Cross Street lasted more than 30 hours. It followed a call to police about a neighbor dispute. When Ypsilanti police officers arrived on scene, a 53-year-old man threatened them with a sword.
Washtenaw County Metro SWAT and Crisis Negotiation Teams were called in to talk the man down.
Katie Scott is Chair of the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners. She says anytime a SWAT team is called in, there are bound to be questions raised by the public.
“I’m confident that after my communication with the Sheriff, the Sheriff’s Office will be open to answering those questions and providing additional insight, so the public can better understand the decision and what the chain of command was in that situation.”
Crystal Campbell is the director of operations for the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s office. She says while the home incurred substantial damage during the multi-agency response effort, their priority was a safe resolution of the standoff.
"Our goal is to value people and our priority was the safety of the people that were involved. So while the destruction of the property is pretty jarring, I think our priority was making sure that the individual that was barricaded was able to be removed safely, that all of the officers and deputies involved, and neighbors remained safe. We were able to accomplish that."
The Ypsilanti Police Department says the case remains an active criminal investigation.
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