Suicide Threat Brings SWAT Response To Boystown Bar Strip

A man who allegedly threatened to kill himself in a Boystown apartment brought a SWAT team response and street closures along the Halsted Street nightlife strip early Saturday.

No serious injuries were reported and the man was safely taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center for evaluation, police said.

The incident began around 11:40 p.m. Friday night when a man reported that his boyfriend was threatening to harm himself in an apartment on the 800 block of West Newport. 19th District police called in a department SWAT team when they learned that a firearm could have been in the man’s apartment and he refused to come outside.

Halsted Street was closed from Roscoe to Cornelia shortly after midnight, hampering the plans of Friday night bar crawlers. One man was tackled as he ran through the police line at 3400 North Halsted around 2 a.m.  A Sun-Times photographer captured the take-down on video.

Around the same time, a large brawl broke out just west of the same intersection. Up to 20 people were said to be fighting in the 800 block of West Roscoe. Police responded quickly and dispersed the crowd.

Back at the apartment, the man turned himself over to police around 2:40 a.m. after speaking with a SWAT negotiator. The area’s streets re-opened about 20 minutes later.

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CWBChicago was created in 2013 by five residents of Wrigleyville and Boystown who had grown disheartened with inaccurate information that was being provided at local Community Policing (CAPS) meetings. Our coverage area has expanded since then to cover Lincoln Park, River North, The Loop, Uptown, and other North Side Areas. But our mission remains unchanged: To provide original public safety reporting with better context and greater detail than mainstream media outlets. Our editorial email address is news@cwbchicago.com