Police arrest man armed with knife following standoff in Northfield home

Northfield police arrested a man who reportedly threatened them and local paramedics with a hunting knife earlier this month.

According to an incident report from the Northfield Police Department, officers were called to Robin Hood Lane on Nov. 11 for a report of a 67-year-old man threatening first-responders with a “large hunting knife.”

Before the man was apprehended, at least one police officer was injured his knee while de-escalating the situation, Northfield Cmdr. Tom Hanus told The Record.

Police then admitted the man to a hospital for medical treatment prior to filing charges, according to the report

“Due to his self-harming behavior and suicidal statements, officers decided that it was in the best interest of (the man’s) mental and physical health to be initially released without charges and to be involuntarily admitted to a hospital for medical treatment and a psychological evaluation,” the report says.

When the man was released from the hospital on Nov. 14, he was arrested and charged with aggravated assault and resisting a police officer.

Because of the nature of the altercation, which was domestic, and the presences of mental health questions, The Record is choosing not to identify the arrested individual.

First-responders initially went to the home on Robin Hood Lane around 3:15 p.m. Nov. 11 for an individual in need of medical care. While paramedics were treating the individual, a man emerged from a separate room with a hunting knife and threatened the first-responders, the report says.

Northfield Fire Department personnel reportedly backed out of the home and called local police units.

When police arrived, the report says, the man with the knife ran into a bedroom and locked himself inside. Medical personnel then treated and transported the ailing individual — who was not physically harmed by the man, Hanus said — from the home and into an ambulance.

The man reportedly came back out from the locked bedroom, and still holding the knife, threatened police officers. An officer injured his knee “creating space” for the man, Hanus said.

Officers, who Hanus said did drew their weapons, took the man into custody “when presented with the opportunity.”

“They did a phenomenal job of deescalating the situation and getting this guy into custody without any major injuries,” Hanus said. “It was a tough situation, but they did a phenomenal job.”

The man was taken to Swedish Covenant Hospital and released three days later, when he was taken into custody.

Following a preliminary hearing, the man was given a conditional release. His next court date is Jan. 4.

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