Man in custody after standoff with Duluth police

A man is in custody after a standoff with Duluth police Sunday night in the 2100 block of Lakeview Drive in the Hunters Park neighborhood.

Jim Hansen, a public information officer for the Duluth Police Department, said police first responded to “a threats call” about 6 p.m. He said the person in the call kept the line to 911 open and made several threats.

“We could hear him rambling incoherently about threats to harm someone,” Hansen told the News Tribune. “But it was hard to piece together what he was saying.”

Police had blocked off traffic and Gold Cross Ambulance had a unit on standby as authorities worked to sort out the standoff.

Sgt. Bob Shene said police did not initially know whether they were dealing with multiple people or just the suspect.

The man voluntarily came out of the home at around 10:30 p.m. when ordered to by police, Hansen said. He said the man was not armed when he came out of the home.

Hansen said the man was taken for a mental-health evaluation. No one was in the house, and no one was injured, Hansen said.

Dan Menor, who lives next to the home where the incident took place, said he and the rest of his family were evacuated and safe; he said he didn’t know what happened inside the suspect’s home.

Menor said the suspect has lived in the home for about 25 years, lives alone and is in his mid-50s. According to public records, the suspect is 55 years old.

A command-center vehicle was stationed in the area to assist, according to Hansen.

Dan Maddy, who lives on the block where the standoff occurred, said police came to his door Sunday evening and asked him to stay inside and turn off his front light until the situation was resolved.

Lisa Finnegan, who also lives in the same block, said her husband was out shoveling snow when an officer advised him to go inside until he received the all-clear that the problem had been addressed.

“It’s very odd to see something like this in our neighborhood. It’s a very quiet family-oriented area,” she said.

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