SOUTH PORTLAND — South Portland police officers successfully de-escalated a situation involving a suicidal 20-year-old man following a vehicle stop on Broadway Wednesday afternoon.
At approximately 2 p.m., officers responded to a call about a young man who had threatened to harm himself and reportedly made threats to commit “suicide by cop.”
Officers located and initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle matching the description provided to dispatch.
The driver briefly fled before stopping again on Broadway in front of the Main Library, where he refused commands to exit his vehicle.
While inside the vehicle, the man called his father on his cell phone, which allowed officers to speak with the father.
Together, police and the father convinced the young man to accept a call from one of the department’s crisis negotiators.
The negotiator successfully helped de-escalate the situation, leading to a safe resolution.
The man was taken into custody without incident and transported to an area hospital for evaluation.
During the incident, police closed roads near the Broadway/Cottage Road intersection and notified Holy Cross School, Brown School, and the Library to bring any outside students indoors.
The South Portland Superintendent of Schools was also notified of the situation.
Roads were reopened at approximately 2:25 p.m. when the scene was declared safe.
