San Francisco Police Standoff With Suspect Ends Peacefully

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- San Francisco police were able to end a standoff early Wednesday evening with an armed suspect near Market Street peacefully, according to authorities.

Officers responded at 2:12 p.m. to the area of Jones and McAllister streets just off Market Street after a report of a possibly armed suspect in an apparently altered mental state.

Officers ordered him to stop and show his hands but he didn't comply, prompting an officer to fire a beanbag round at him, police spokeswoman Officer Grace Gatpandan said.

The suspect began to lie on the ground and was surrounded by officers. The Police Department's SWAT and hostage/crisis negotiation team responded, Gatpandan said.

At the time, she said it was unclear whether a weapon was actually seen in the possession of the suspect.

"Our goal is not to use any force," Gatpandan said.

Shortly before 6 p.m., police tweeted that the suspect had been taken into custody and was being evaluated by medical personnel. Family members had told police that the suspect had a history of mental issues.

"We've been pushing to create as much time as possible, with the sanctity of human life above all," said acting SFPD Chief Toney Chaplin during a press conference at the scene. "We would have stayed out here until tomorrow if we had to."

Chaplin confirmed that the suspect had told officers that he wanted to die and did not want to go to jail during negotiations. The standoff lasted almost four hours.

Authorities were able to recover the suspect's gun at the scene.

The standoff shut down multiple streets in the area, prompting the re-routing of multiple Municipal Railway bus routes.

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