1 Arrested After Downtown Minneapolis Building Evacuated Monday

MINNEAPOLIS — Mental health challenges contributed to an incident that caused the evacuation of a downtown Minneapolis apartment building on Monday afternoon, according to police.

The incident ended peacefully thanks to officers and crisis team negotiators, according to Chief Brian O’Hara. A 34-year-old man was arrested for property damage after he refused to leave his apartment where suspected gunfire had occurred, authorities said.

At about 3:15 p.m. on Monday, officers responded to reports of shots fired inside a tenth-floor downtown apartment on the 10 block of East Grant Street.

Police heard gunfire when they arrived in the hallway on the 10th floor. Officers identified an apartment that was occupied by one resident who refused to come out.

The Minneapolis police SWAT unit and crisis negotiations responded and worked to establish communications with the man inside the apartment.

The man inside the apartment broke a hole through the wall leading into the hallway. He threw items through the hole and from the window, police said.

Officers were able to distract the man, use a Taser, and take him into custody, according to authorities. The man had minor injuries believed to have occurred before he was taken into custody, police said.

He was taken to Hennepin Healthcare Hospital and later booked into the Hennepin County Jail for property damage.

Investigators said they did not find any "ballistic evidence or weapons" in plain view inside the apartment.

“I'm incredibly thankful to the police officers, SWAT Team members, and crisis negators who responded today,” said Chief O’Hara.

"They performed heroically and with great restraint trying to rescue individuals who they thought were in danger of gunfire. They came up with a significant plan to safely take this person into custody quickly. I'm just incredibly grateful to them, and I'm thankful that we're able to end this relatively quickly, in about an hour and a half, with no other persons being injured."