Man With Mental Health Issues On Screaming Rampage Shatters Windows Of Richmond Post Office
RICHMOND (CBS SF) -- A man experiencing mental health issues broke into a U.S. Post Office in Richmond early Tuesday morning and vandalized it, according to police.
Richmond police said officers responded at 1:40 a.m. Tuesday to a burglary alarm at the post office at 1025 Nevin Ave.
While officers were on their way to the scene, a man inside the post office called police dispatchers and yelled into the phone that his life was in danger, police said.
At the scene, officers found the front glass doors of the post office shattered, with more windows being broken by a man wielding a large stick, police said.
The suspect then ran into a nearby federal building, yelling along the way that he needed protection from the FBI, who was out to harm him, police said.
Police said a perimeter was established and efforts were made to calm the man down. He was eventually taken into custody by police and transported to a nearby hospital for a mental health evaluation.
Upon surveying the scene, officers learned that another set of glass doors was broken inside the post office and the interior had been sprayed with a fire extinguisher.
Police in a statement praised the officers for acting in a manner appropriate for dealing with someone suffering a mental health issue, adding that many officers have attended crisis intervention training that focuses on such situations.
