VERO BEACH — At noon on Tuesday, the Vero Beach Police Department received a call from a home health professional who was concerned about a patient who was threatening to harm himself.
The man’s wife was said to be in the home and the man was known by the nurse to own a firearm.
With that limited information and the possibility of a hostage situation with a firearm in play, multiple patrol units responded and secured the immediate area around the home at the corner of 16th Street and 34th Avenue.
The caller told authorities that the man would take action if he were see any law enforcement officers approach the house.
Vero Beach Police Department Public Information Officer Anna Carden said offiicials at Rosewood Magnet School were also notified of the incident so precautions were taken.
As police officers, with Cpt. Darrell Rivers as supervisor on scene, positioned themselves around the property, out of sight of the subject, they saw a man come out of the house to retrieve a garbage can.
Officers reported on the radio that they did not see a weapon in the man’s hand, but with the wife reportedly in the house and the situation unknown, they rushed at the man and took him into custody.
Upon securing the man without causing injuries to either the man or the officers, officers opened up the residential street.
Ofc. Carden said she did not believe that the incident caused any traffic snags.
“Luckily, the incident was over in less than 15 minutes,” Carden said.
Officials at Rosewood Magnet were notified that there was no threat to students or personnel.
Officers entered the house to make sure the wife was unharmed, interviewed the parties, searched for the weapon and photographed the scene.
No arrests were made and no charges were filed. The Vero Beach Police Department is not releasing the names of the individuals involved.
The man reportedly has a late-stage cancer. He was taken to Lawnwood Regional Medical Center under Florida’s Baker Act, according to Ofc. Carden, “where he can get the care that he needs.”
An officer accompanied the man to Lawnwood.
