Police cordoned off a portion of Third Avenue on Tuesday as they worked to convince a man in crisis to drop his knife and surrender to officers.
Officers were called to the 1200 block of 3rd Avenue shortly after 2 PM after receiving reports of a man armed with a knife on the street.
When officers arrived, they contacted the man in the street, but he refused to drop his knife. Officers attempted to use a less-lethal Taser to force the man to drop his weapon, but were unsuccessful.
Officers cleared the street of pedestrians and motorists, asked nearby businesses to shelter in place, and erected a temporary fence on the block in an effort to contain the armed man.
Police negotiators contacted the man, who appeared to be in the midst of a mental health crisis and repeatedly asked officers to shoot him.
Officers continued to work with the man in an effort to de-escalate his behavior and, after communicating with police and family members at the scene for several hours, the man finally put down his knife and surrendered just before 4:30 PM.
He was transported to Harborview Medical Center for a medical evaluation.
