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Standoff with armed suspect comes to an end in Grand Rapids

Police said a suspected drunk driver also hit the police perimeter.
Credit: 13 On Your Side
Grand Rapids Police in stand off with armed man near the Town and Country Party Store on Kalamazoo Avenue in Grand Rapids.

Police were in an hours-long standoff overnight Friday on the southeast side of Grand Rapids with a man, who was armed with a long gun and making statements about wanting to harm himself. 

The Grand Rapids Police Department and other police agencies responded to the scene that started around 10:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29, near 44th Street and Kalamazoo Avenue on reports of an armed robbery. 

According to GRPD, the man is suspected to have robbed the Town and Country Party Store on Kalamazoo Avenue. Police say, he then left the store on foot and fired shots in the air shortly after. 

When officers arrived on the scene, they set up a perimeter and cornered the man behind area businesses. Police say the man indicated he wanted to harm himself and fired shots into the air. 

The Special Response Team utilized an 'armored rescue vehicle' to "keep the suspect contained while officers attempted to negotiate." 

SRT utilized 'a multi-faceted, less lethal arrest plan' to take the man into custody without significant injury after 3 p.m., the department said Friday. The department said loud booms that residents may have heard were flash noise devices. 

GRPD said that during the standoff, a suspected drunk driver hit a police cruiser. The officer inside the cruiser sustained very minor injuries, according to the department. 

The driver was not injured and was arrested at the scene. 

According to GRPD, a portion of 44th Street Southeast, west of Kalamazoo Avenue was shut down. It has since been reopened. 

 

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