LYNN — A man who barricaded himself and his daughter in the basement of his Hanover Street home was taken into police custody Saturday morning, after an hours-long standoff that began Friday afternoon culminated in police subduing the man and rescuing his three-year-old daughter.
The situation began Friday when Lynn police and the Department of Children and Families arrived at the Hanover Street home to conduct a well-being check on the girl, causing the man to become agitated, according to police. The man then “retreated into the basement” and locked himself inside, State Police said. Lynn police observed the man was holding a cylindrical object with a six-inch wick coming from one end. Officers also observed a machete and a crossbow in the basement.
After hours of negotiations with police that began Friday afternoon, the man “refused to communicate further” with State Police crisis negotiators around midnight, said David Procopio, a spokesman for State Police. Around 11 a.m. Saturday the State Police Special Tactical Operations Team determined the man had begun “trying to strengthen the barricade he had erected” and was pouring kerosene inside the apartment and on a mattress and was lighting fireworks, according to Procopio.
Members of the STOP Team then made “immediate forced entry” breaching multiple doors to get inside in order to secure and rescue the girl, Procopio said. State Police used “less than lethal force” to subdue the man, who was “combative and assaultive,” according to Procopio. The man, whose name was not released, was taken into custody.
“It was a well-executed operation from start to finish by Lynn Police and MSP. We are relieved and grateful that STOP Troopers were able to rescue the little girl before she was burned or otherwise physically injured,” Procopio said. “She will get the support she needs, and we pray for a safe, healthy, and happier future for her.”
Lieutenant Michael Kmiec, a spokesman for the Lynn police department, said the man has been hospitalized and has not been booked by police. Kmiec said the man was “going to be there for a while.”
Charlie McKenna can be reached at [email protected]
