DULUTH - Police here used a flash-bang grenade and teargas to roust a man out of his house at 2012 51st Ave. E. Wednesday afternoon, ending a nearly six-hour standoff in Lakeside.
The man left his house to escape the teargas and was taken into custody without incident.
Police were called to the scene just after 8 a.m. on reports that a man with mental health issues had entered his neighbor's house with a knife. The resident of the house escaped and no one was hurt, said Brad Wick, Duluth police public information officer.
When police arrived, they found no one in the house where the alleged break-in occurred. They then tried to lure the man out of his home next door. The Duluth police tactical response team was called in and the suspect's home surrounded. Police used loudspeakers and a "throw phone" in an effort to communicate with the man but still received no response. No one else was in the home during the standoff.
Police used the loud flash-bang device "to get his attention and let him know we meant business," and followed it with teargas at 2 p.m. to bring the standoff to an end, Wick said. Police had blocked off 51st Avenue East north of Glenwood Street throughout the incident.
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The man has a history of minor run-ins with the law, but nothing serious, Wick said. The man was being evaluated to determine whether he would go to a hospital or to jail, Wick added.
The Duluth News Tribune and the Herald are Forum Communications Co. newspapers.
