Man called 911 near Tacoma school saying he was having mental health crisis, had a gun
Tacoma police officers de-escalated a tense situation Tuesday evening outside a middle school in the city’s West End when a man called 911 to report he had a gun and was thinking of hurting himself.
Tacoma Police Department said the 31-year-old man was near a convenience store at the corner of North Pearl and 37th streets, across the street from Truman Middle School when he made the call at about 6:30 p.m. Officers responded and locked down the school, halting sports games that were happening on school grounds.
The sports were not school events, according to Tacoma Public Schools spokesperson Kathryn McCarthy. She said the school rents out its sports fields for outside use.
The man eventually was detained by police and brought to a hospital, but police said it wasn’t until after the situation was over that officers were able to determine the man had been holding a BB gun. Photos of the gun shared by police showed it was a long black gun with a silver barrel and no orange tip.
Police spokesperson Wendy Haddow said officers set up at a distance and were able to talk with the man over the phone, using de-escalation tactics over the course of 45 minutes until the man put the weapon down and was detained. Haddow said officers talked the man into going to a local hospital, and he was transported on a mental health hold.
Haddow said the man held the BB gun in a low, ready position during the encounter and didn’t point it at anyone but himself.
“This is something our officers go to,” Haddow said. “It’s not uncommon, so they’re trained in how to respond to these events.”
Resources are available for people who are in crisis or those worried about someone else:
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-8255
- Teen Link: 866-833-6546
- Lifeline Crisis Chat: suicidepreventionlifeline.org/talk-to-someone-now/
- How to identify and help someone who might be at risk
