Undercover Cops Watch ‘Suicide by Cop' Suspect in Livermore

Police found the man Saturday after he wrote a letter saying he wanted to commit 'suicide by cop.'

After undercover officers monitored the Livermore home of a person who was possibly attempting to commit suicide by cop for more than eight hours, police found the suspect Saturday around 8:30 a.m. near Mines Road and Dana Circle in Livermore.

The man was taken to the hospital for a medical and mental health evaluation, according to police spokesperson Steve Goard.

Officers also found a letter the man wrote, apologizing for his actions. The letter said he wanted to commit "suicide by cop."

Around 3:40 p.m. Thursday, officers responded to the 4600 block of Gerrilyn Way at the La Vina apartment complex on a call about a suspicious situation, according to police.

Arriving officers spoke with the person who had called police. The person told officers someone was trying to harm himself and threatening the responding officers, police said.

Officers established a perimeter and attempted to contact the person, who refused to communicate with them. Officers made various attempts to talk to the person, including making amplified voice announcements from a police vehicle.

Officers had not made contact with the person by 5:45 p.m., who was apparently threatening himself with a knife. To prevent a "suicide by cop" incident, all marked patrol vehicles left the area about 15 minutes later, police said.

Undercover units stayed at that scene observing the person's apartment until after midnight. Officers at that point still had not made contact with him, according to police.

The case remains under investigation.

While officers were covertly observing the apartment an apartment resident was taken away by ambulance for medical reasons determined to be unrelated to the case, police said.

Bay City News contributed to this report.

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