A man flashing a sharp-edged, knife-like weapon barricaded himself into an apartment nearby campus early Thursday afternoon.
The Tucson Police Department got the initial call to the apartment at 747 E. Sixth St. at 12:41 p.m. in regards to a subject swinging a knife around and threatening people.
After officers encountered him, the man ran inside the apartment.
“”Clearly, this is an individual in crisis,”” said Sgt. Fabian Pacheco. “”Clearly, if this individual needs help, we will get him the help that he needs.””
The man spent three hours in the apartment before the Special Weapons and Tactics Team arrived.
When exiting the apartment, he did not respond to the officers’ requests, and they fired a non-lethal rubber bullet into his ribs. He was then taken into custody.
“”We don’t want anyone to get hurt in these situations,”” Pacheco said.
Pacheco noted that TPD was pleased with how the situation turned out.
“”This outcome illustrates how critical it is to follow our established protocols, not to push things too fast and, at the same time, utilize our SWAT officers if the situation needs to go tactical,”” Pacheco said. “”You just have to take your time with those situations and resolve them peacefully.””
Roads around the UA, as well as Tucson High School, were closed for several hours, but were reopened soon after the suspect was taken into custody. He was transported to the main TPD station to be questioned at around 5:15 p.m.
Roads were reopened at 5:45 p.m.
He was transported to Pima County Jail Thursday night. No charges had been made as of press time, but officials say he could be charged with disorderly conduct and aggravated assault.
The name of the subject had not been identified as of press time, but it was confirmed that he was not a UA student.