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Mich. wellness check turns into a barricade situation, apartment fire

A man who barricaded himself inside his Ypsilanti Township apartment for hours during a standoff with police was eventually removed after fire forced him onto a balcony

By Jordyn Pair
mlive.com

YPSILANTI TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A man reportedly experiencing a mental health crisis barricaded himself inside a Ypsilanti Township apartment Wednesday.

Deputies from the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office were called around 12:45 p.m. March 19 to an apartment complex in the 2900 block of Roundtree Boulevard in Ypsilanti Township for a wellness check, Sheriff Alyshia Dyer said in a release on social media. Deputies were checking on the 36-year-old man.

The man refused to open the door to deputies and barricaded himself inside, police said. He would not come out for several hours, despite ongoing negotiations with police.

During the negotiations, smoke began coming from the apartment, police said. A fire broke out inside and the man moved to the apartment balcony, where negotiations continued.

The man was removed from the balcony and the fire was extinguished, police said.

The man was taken to the hospital. No one was injured.

The fire damage was contained to one apartment, police said. Preliminary reports show the fire caused roughly $75,000 in damage, Capt. Scott Gehringer reported.

“Our deepest gratitude to our employees, ( Community Mental Health ) staff, neighboring agencies and all who assisted with this crisis,” Dyer said in a statement.

Deputies from the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office were aided by crews from Metro SWAT, the Ypsilanti Township Fire Department and mental health professionals on scene.

The incident remains under investigation.

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