San Francisco police

SFPD Uses Nonlethal Force to End Standoff With Autistic Teen

13-year-old boy was armed with knife and barricaded in garage after a fight with his parents, police say

A long, tense standoff involving a 13-year-old autistic boy armed with a knife in San Francisco ended Tuesday morning after police subdued the boy using nonlethal rounds, according to the San Francisco Police Department.

The incident began around 9:15 p.m. Monday after officers responded to a report of a barricaded suspect in the 200 block of Cumberland Street, in the Dolores Park neighborhood. The teen had been in an argument with his family, according to police.

Several bomb squad teams and more than 20 officers stayed up all night trying to resolve the situation. The standoff lasted about 16 hours.

"He's autistic, he has a knife, he barricaded himself in the garage," said police Capt. Dan Perea. "We've been talking to him all night, trying to get him to put the knife down so he can surrender and we can get him some help."

A robot was sent into the home to check on the boy and prompted him to come out, but he wouldn't drop the knife, police said. Officers deployed a bean-bag gun twice to subdue the boy, and then were able to get the boy into an ambulance, police said.

Police spokeswoman Officer Giselle Talkoff said it was a good outcome.

"This was a time when we were able to take our time, develop our strategy and bring it to a peaceful result," Talkoff said.

Neighbors were on edge during the lengthy standoff. Castro resident Cheryl Lebreque couldn't sleep Monday night as she listened to police negotiators encourage the boy to surrender.

"I have to commend him; he was very, very patient and extremely calm," she said of the SFPD negotiator.

Lebreque said she and other neighbors are hoping for the best for the boy and the entire family.

Copyright BAYCN - Bay City News
Contact Us