An man armed with a pellet gun who walked into Wichita Police Department Patrol South, 211 E. Pawnee St., Monday evening is now in custody.
According to Wichita Police Department Lieutenant Todd Ojile, at 6:55 p.m., an officer working the front desk noticed a man trying to enter the front door. The officer then saw the man on camera walk around the station, enter through the back door, and go into the lobby.
"The officer left the front desk, came down the hallway and told the individual that the station was closed," said Ojile. "At that time, the suspect pulled a, what the officer believed at that time was a handgun, and put it to his head and started asking the officers to shoot him."
KSN News reports that a call went out, and additional officers arrived at the scene. A perimeter was set up around the station, temporarily shutting down Broadway and Pawnee.
A lieutenant was also at the station with the officer. They were able to keep the suspect in the back lobby while they negotiated with him.
"They negotiated with him for approximately 45 to 50 minutes," said Ojile. "During that time, we tried one less lethal round, striking the suspect in the abdominal area. It did not have an effect on the individual at that time."
Negotiations continued with the suspect, who eventually put down his handgun. He was taken into custody without further incident.
The suspect, a 57-year-old man from Wichita, was taken to a local hospital for a mental evaluation.
"He was asking officers, like I said, he wanted the officers to shoot him. He made no threats to the officers or did not point the gun at the officers in there. He just wanted them to shoot him," said Ojile.
