JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office SWAT Team said a man, armed with a handgun, had been taken into custody, after he threatened to kill himself inside a Westside apartment early Wednesday morning.
A little after 12:30 a.m. JSO was notified that there was an armed man, threatening to kill himself at the Creekside Apartments off Townsend Road near Blanding Boulevard.
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His wife with their two small children, a five-year-old and seven-year-old, in the apartment with the armed man.
"As officers arrived on scene, they were able to assist the mother and two small children... It was actually a very cooperative effort, while she was on the phone with 911, we gave her direction to secure the children and meet the officers out front without incident," said Jesse York with JSO.
Officers said the woman and children escaped the home unharmed.
The armed man barricaded himself inside the apartment and did not respond to SWAT or a negotiator, who were trying to make contact with him, according to JSO.
"Well beforehand, the information that we have is that he was inside, armed and obviously the family was in harms way with the individual that was potentially not just suicidal, but could be homicidal as well," said York.
Officers evacuated eight units adjacent to the apartment that the armed man is barricaded in.
No gunshots have been heard near the apartment and officers believe no gunshots have been fired.
"The hostage negotiators are trained to difuse threatening and volatle situations such as this. The swat team is there to support the JSO hostage negotiator team, and they're there just as an added safety precaution just to make sure that the scene is secure and that innocent bystanders don't enter that area," said York.
Officers were able to get the armed man out of the apartment without incident around 4:45 a.m. The man was taken into custody for mental evaluation.
Officers said there is no history of violent activity at the Creekside Apartment complex.