Man in custody after barricading himself in Chevy Chase home armed with knife: police

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. - A man was taken into custody after a barricade situation in a Chevy Chase neighborhood Thursday afternoon. 

Police responded to the 5300 block of Willard Avenue in Chevy Chase, Maryland for a burglary at a vacant home located on park property at 9:47 a.m. Maintenance crews arrived to do work on the boarded-up home but when they arrived, they found a man inside who wouldn't leave.

Maryland National Park Police responded because they own this property and surrounded the home.

At some point, they say the man came outside and lunged at officers with a large kitchen knife. Park Police officers backed off and called in Montgomery County Police SWAT teams. 

"They recognized the situation, they immediately removed themselves and were able to de-escalate when necessary," said Maryland National Capital park Police Captain Tracy Lieberman. "That's due to a lot of the training we are giving our officers, making sure they have these skills and are able to make these quick decisions." 

Several roads in the area including Willard Ave., Wisconsin Ave. and River Rd. were shut down or rerouted as SWAT teams dealt with the situation. A command post was set up outside the Saks Fifth Avenue off of Wisconsin.

The man, described as a 66-year-old Hispanic male, was taken into custody around 2 p.m. and transported to the hospital for evaluation. 

Police believe the man may have been living in the home, which is scheduled for demolition, for months and they say this may have been a mental health episode. 

"Officers did what they were trained to do. The SWAT team did what they were trained to do. Everybody remained calm, and that's exactly what we want," Lieberman said. "We did need to get the gentleman out of the house but we were able to do it in a way that kept everybody safe and this is really what we want."

The suspect will eventually face charges of assault on an officer and burglary, possibly more.