Suffern man arrested following standoff with SWAT Team

Tuesday’s arrest is the latest in a string of dramatic but peacefully resolved incidents requiring an intensive police response over the past week in Rockland

A Suffern man is in police custody following an hours long standoff that saw the village implement  a shelter in place order as the potentially  dangerous suspect held up in a home surrounded by a SWAT Team.

 On Tuesday Morning, the Suffern Police Department received a call from a resident on Kensico Ct, stating that her 25-year-old son was breaking items in their residence. Upon patrol units arriving on scene, they observed the caller in the common parking area, attempting to flag them down. Upon interviewing her, she stated to the officers that her son had held a large knife to her throat and had threatened to kill her, as well as himself. At this point, the subjects father exited the residence and advised officers that the subject was still armed with a knife and that he and his brother were in the residence. Patrol officers were able to gain entry to the residence and allow the brother to exit unharmed. At this point, the subject barricaded himself in the bathroom and would not comply with officer’s request for him to exit the room. While barricaded in the bathroom, the subject opened the bathroom window and made several threats towards officers in the parking lot, stating that they were going to have to shoot him and that he would “shoot it out” with police if they tried to enter the bathroom. Initial responding officers maintained visual observation of the bathroom door and attempted to talk the subject into exiting the bathroom, without success. A perimeter was set outside of the residence with the assistance of the Rockland County Sheriff’s Office and the Ramapo Police Department. 

Due to the fact the subject was believed to be armed with a large knife and had made threats towards police to shoot them, the Rockland County React Team (SWAT team), was dispatched to the scene and took over the perimeter. React negotiators made contact with the subject and after approximately 2 ½ hours of active negotiations, they were able to convince the subject to surrender. The subject exited the bathroom and was taken into custody without incident, resulting in no injuries to himself or any responding officers. 

The subject is currently in Suffern Police custody, awaiting arraignment on multiple charges, including Criminal Mischief, Menacing and Criminal possession of a weapon.

Tuesday’s showdown marked the latest incident in what has been a very busy period for the county’s law enforcement. On Saturday, The Rockland County REACT (Rescue, Entry and Counter-Terrorism) Team, a specialized unit trained to respond to high-risk situations, was deployed to the Nyack Fresh Market to assist a man who had barricaded himself in the bathroom and expressed suicidal ideation. That unit was also deployed that same day to apprehend an armed man in Haverstraw.