34-year-old man arrested in Vejle after 14 hours of knife threats against citizen and police
A 34-year-old man was arrested Thursday morning in Vejle after threatening both a citizen and officers with a knife. He has since been released and admitted to a psychiatric ward.
Knife-wielding man barricaded in flat – arrested after 14-hour operation
South East Jutland Police arrested a 34-year-old man in Vejle on Thursday morning at 07:16 after he had refused to leave his flat for more than 14 hours. This is reported by B.T. on the basis of a press release from the police.
The case began on Wednesday afternoon at 16:35 when a citizen called and reported that he had been threatened with a knife by a man on Kalkbrænderivej whilst parking his car and getting out. The citizen drove away from the scene and escaped unharmed.
When officers arrived at the address, they were themselves met with knife threats. They chose to withdraw in order not to escalate the situation.
The man then went into his flat and would not come out, despite repeated appeals from the police. Ekstra Bladet has previously reported that the officers, amongst other things, used a megaphone in an attempt to get him to surrender.
— When a person threatens with a knife and subsequently barricades himself in a flat, it is crucial that we take the necessary time and do not risk unnecessarily escalating the situation, says vice police inspector Jesper Brian Jensen from South East Jutland Police in the press release.
— Our most important priority has been the safety of both the residents in the area, our employees and the suspect himself, he says.
The police acknowledge that the incident may have created a sense of unease in the immediate neighbourhood.
The 34-year-old was not injured during his arrest. He is charged with unlawful possession of a weapon, threats against the life of the citizen, threats against the police, and vandalism to the citizen's car. The police do not provide further details on how the arrest actually took place.
Early Thursday afternoon, the man was released from police custody and subsequently admitted to a psychiatric ward.
Source: B.T.