Man Surrenders After 6 Hour Standoff With Mentor Police, SWAT

A 6-hour standoff between an armed man hiding beneath a porch on Mansion Boulevard and Mentor Police Department ended when the man surrendered peacefully at about midnight.

"He realized there was nowhere for him to go," Mentor Police Capt. Ken Gunsch said.

The man -- whose name has not been released -- was taken to Mentor City Jail and he is expected to be arraigned Friday morning in .

Gunsch said police opted to coax the armed man from beneath the porch with negotiation as opposed to forcing him out with gas or a water hose because they wanted the standoff to end safely for everyone.

"Our best option was to keep talking to him and for it to end peacefully," he said.

The standoff began during an argument at the nearby Mentor Square Apartments.

A bystander who lives in the apartment complex, Orlando Figueroa, said two men were arguing and management called police to break it up. When officers arrived, one of the men involved in the argument ran away.

In fact, the man jumped off a balcony to get away, Gunsch said.

The man then hid beneath a porch on a Mansion Street home near the Center Street intersection, said Gunsch.

The man had a handgun with him when he hid beneath the porch, Gunsch said. However, he had no gun when he surrendered. Police found his suspected weapon, a .357, soon thereafter.

At no time during the standoff did the man have any hostages, Gunsch said.

Dawn Argie lives nearby the home where the man his. Police evacuated her and her family from their home. Officers told her the man was threatening to "kill everyone."