Standoff ends peacefully in Albany
Rensselaer County man surrendered to police after incident at motel
A man who has a history with weapons and mental health issues surrendered peacefully outside the Spectrum News studio in Albany after an hours-long standoff Thanksgiving afternoon, the culmination of an incident that included an Albany police officer firing their weapon, authorities said.
Smith said the man’s name was not not immediately available. It was not clear what if any charges he might face
Authorities have not identif ied the man by na me, but sa id he is from Rensselaer Count y, is k now n to law enforcement a nd recently had severa l weapons seized by St ate Police a f ter a sepa rate incident involv ing f irea r ms, sa id Of f icer Steven Smith, a n A lba ny police spokesman.
Thursday ’s incident began shortly before noon at the Motel 6 on Watervliet Avenue Extension, when the man “put his hands on” a motel guest, Smith said. Police were called, but the man had left by the time they arrived.
But while police were interviewing the victim and hotel workers, he pulled into the parking lot in his black Ford pickup truck, Smith said.
“The subject in question pulled up to the front of the hotel, rev ved the engine of his pickup truck, beeped the horn several times and was yelling obscenities to the victim, as well as the officers who were investi
gating the incident,” Smith said.
Officers walked out of the motel to find the man doing “burn-outs” and driving erratically down Watervliet Avenue Extension before eventually driving away, Smith said.
He was found in the parking lot of a Ramada Plaza by Wyndham across the street from the Motel 6, Smith said. Officers were able to talk with the man before he drove off again, prompting a pursuit.
“The pursuit was very brief,’ Smith said. “It just went around the corner to Watervliet Avenue, where the vehicle stopped and officers conducted a felony traffic stop.”
But the man drove off again, Smith said. At Livingston and Watervliet avenues, an Albany police officer drew their gun and fired at the suspect.
Nobody was hit by the gunfire, authorities said, and it ’s not clear how many shots were fired. The officer will be assigned to an administrative position while an investigation into the shooting takes place.
The truck continued toward the spot of the original incident and the driver tried pulling into the parking lot of the Spectrum Networks studio, Smith said. A gate prevented the man from entering the parking lot, and police blocked him in.
Crisis negotiators were seen bringing shoes, a winter coat and a cellphone to the man during the standoff, and were able to speak on the phone with him. An armored police vehicle eventually drove into the parking lot of the Honest Weight Food Co-op across the street from the TV studio.
Some residents also drove into the Honest Weight parking lot and started broadcasting the standoff on Facebook live.
Shortly before 4 p.m., the man surrendered peacefully and was taken to a hospital for evaluation, Smith said. Police didn’t find any weapons on the man, but were awaiting a search warrant to determine whether there were any weapons in his truck, Smith said.