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West Hartford, CT (WFSB) — A man who threatened to harm himself and others was taken into custody and police discovered high-powered weapons in his home.
It happened on Shepard Road in West Hartford on Monday morning.
Police said they responded just after 4 a.m.
“When I woke up to something like this, it was a shock to me,” said Diane Farbotko, a neighbor. “And very, very scary.”
Police said the person was armed with a knife and suicidal.
Some neighbors were told to stay in their homes as a precaution.
At first, police said he was uncooperative and would not respond to them.
“They said ‘please come out, please come out,'” said Anthony Fontana, a neighbor. “They must have said it about half a dozen times. Then they said ‘we are going to call you on the phone, please pick up.’ And eventually after about 10 to 15 minutes, he came out.
Police said he voluntarily left the house and was taken into custody without incident.
“Sometimes those cases can drag on for hours,” said Capt. Michael Perruccio, West Hartford police. “Sometimes they end up in a situation where we have to take action and actually go in with SWAT teams or emergency services unit. But luckily, again in this case, this person decided to come out on his own. That’s certainly the way we want these incidents to resolve themselves, so we are very happy that it did in this case.”
He was taken to the hospital for evaluation.
Charges may be pending, but police said the incident remains under investigation.
The man’s identity has not been released.
The road was closed but reopened around 5:45 a.m.
A Channel 3 crew saw police taking weapons out of the home, including a few rifles, pistols, crossbows, a mace and a spear. They also took out boxes of ammunition, bump stocks, a tactical vest, a gas mask and other items.
Police later confirmed that several weapons were removed.
“Long rifles, bow and arrows, I’m shocked,” said Lester Puzio, a neighbor. “I’ve never seen other kids coming over here, hanging out with them. No parties, nothing. It’s quiet. This is a big shock for me.”
Neighbors described the family that lived there as quiet. The family included a couple with three boys.
“My gosh, because it’s terrible,” Farbotko said. “I feel sorry for the family.”
A woman with a dog was seen going into the house with officers during the 6 a.m. hour, though her connection to the person remains unclear.
Shepard Road is located across from the Westfarms Mall.
An officer’s cruiser was also parked in front of Clover Drive, which runs parallel to Shepard Road.
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