EAST PROVIDENCE — East Providence Police had to forcibly extricate a mentally disturbed man from a home earlier Thursday morning, Aug. 28, an incident that necessitated the closure of Veterans Parkway for some two hours.
According to the report of EPPD Captain Bruce Kidman, a 66-year-old resident of 99 Delway Road, awoke Thursday at approximately 6:30 a.m. threatening his roommate while wielding a sword. The man, according to Capt. Kidman, said he was “going to hurt people because of the death of his girlfriend,” a person and an event that does not exist and did not take place. The man then began to “slash” the walls and doors of his room as police arrived at the scene, before barricading himself inside the house.
Once there, officers, including those from the EPPD Special Reaction Team, attempted to negotiate with the man for quite some time, but to no avail. The man threatened to attack anyone, including police officers, if they tried to enter the home.
It was at that point when the “negotiations broke down and the situation was raised to another level,” said Capt. Kidman, that officers decided to introduce tear gas through a second floor window to drive the man from the house. He willingly did so, exiting on his own. The scene was finally cleared at about 10:30 a.m.
“We’ve had a lot of history with this person, and it’s always been because of his mental health issues, but it’s never risen to this level,” Capt. Kidman said.
The man was taken to a mental health facility by an East Providence Fire Department rescue unit. Police officers accompanied. Capt. Kidman said while no formal charges have been made at the moment, the man will be introduced to the judicial system so he can be properly monitored and treated.