Mental Health Crisis, standoff with police on Palatine Road near Windsor Drive in Arlington Heights Friday night that ended peacefully.
Arlington Heights police responded just after 8:30 p.m. Friday November 13, 2020 to a single vehicle traffic crash with minor damage that occurred on the westbound Palatine Road express lanes, west of Windsor Driver.
At about 8:41 p.m., police officers that had responded to the crash requested Arlington Heights Fire Department paramedics to the scene for medical evaluation of the driver and front seat passenger. Paramedics were assessing the passenger in an ambulance while other paramedics evaluated the driver who was still seated in the car. Suddenly, the driver brandished a sharp-edged weapon and began cutting his wrist. Fire department personnel pulled back while police contained the scene.
Palatine Road between Windsor and Rand was shut down and a wide pedestrian perimeter was set up around the scene. Traffic was re-routed with assistance provided by police officers from neighboring communities as part of a mutual aid request and assignment.
Police were standing near the vehicle with ballistic shields with paramedics staging near the scene.
Police officers initiated dialogue with the driver who was clearly exhibiting signs of a person in a severe mental health crisis, according to the Arlington Heights Police Department. After an extended conversation, the man complied with officers’ request to throw his weapon out the passenger window, only to display another knife a short time later.
Police officers continued communication with driver and after approximately 90-minutes were able to convince the driver to exit his car, unarmed. He complied and was immediately turned over to paramedics, who treated the self-inflicted wound. Paramedics transported the driver to a local hospital for further medical care.
The driver, a 20 year-old male from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, complied with police just before 10:20 p.m. and the scene was entirely cleared at approximately 10:45pm and Palatine Road was re-opened to traffic.
Arlington Heights Police Department stated that it is anticipated that no charges will be filed in this case.
Several motorists were stuck in the eastbound lanes of Palatine Road with no available detour, but were able to back out eventually — possibly with assistance of mutual aid police officers that helped motorists clear the eastbound lanes on the west side of the active scene.
^^ MOBILE? USE VOICE MIC ^^
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