AKRON, Ohio — A man was arrested in Akron Saturday night after a standoff with the city’s SWAT unit, according to the Akron Police Department.
Around 11 p.m., officers were involved in a vehicle pursuit with a stolen vehicle that began on Kenmore Boulevard and was later terminated on Interstate 76, police said.
The vehicle was later spotted on State Route 59 and I-76 after the car was disabled by OnStar, according to police.
Officers approached the car when the 29-year-old driver told authorities he had a gun and refused to exit the car, police said.
According to police, the driver made “numerous threats” to shoot officers while they were attempting to communicate with him and defuse the situation.
The Akron SWAT Team was then called to the scene and negotiators attempted to deescalate the situation.
During the standoff, police said the driver continued to make threats to harm officers or to force a “suicide by cop.”
The standoff lasted for an “extended period of time,” police said, but members of the SWAT Team were able to take him into custody without further incident, according to police.
Authorities did not find a weapon during a search of the vehicle.
The driver was taken to Summa Akron City Hospital for treatment and charged with willful flee, receiving stolen property, obstructing official business and resisting arrest. Police learned he was on parole and had several felony warrants.
