Armed man barricaded inside car was experiencing ‘mental health crisis,’ police say

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SALT LAKE CITY — Police were able to quickly resolve a situation involving a 36-year-old gunman who was barricaded inside a vehicle near 900 South and 100 West on Saturday afternoon. Officers say he was experiencing a “mental health crisis.”

The man, whom police did not identify, parked his car in a travel lane on 900 South, left his car and entered a business around 1 p.m., according to a Salt Lake City police news release. A witness told police that the man had taken three firearms from his car to the business; however, police said the man never threatened or pointed any of the firearms at anyone.

The man later returned to his car and police began to secure the area and issued a shelter-in-place order.

Around 3:30 p.m., the man got out of his car and turned himself in to police after Salt Lake SWAT and crisis negotiators were called to the scene.

The man was experiencing a mental health crisis, according to a tweet from the Salt Lake City Police Department. Police said they are working with social workers to provide him with resources and help.

“The leadership and compassion shown by our officers in this extremely volatile incident underscores our officers’ training and skills to effectively and safely handle situations involving a person in a mental health crisis,” said Chief Mike Brown. it’s a statement.

The Utah Transit Authority has closed its station on 900 South due to police activity in the area. The agency said at 2:20 p.m. that it was dispatching vans to transport passengers between the Courthouse and Ballpark stations; the vans did not stop at the 900 South station.

UTA confirmed at 4:18 p.m. that the station is reopened, but said there could be residual delays as trains resume normal service.