Associated Press
TUCSON, Ariz. — Arizona police say a man threatening to detonate his recreational vehicle outside a Tucson police substation showed officers a can of gasoline and a hammer and says he has propane tanks and guns.
Police have been trying to negotiate with the man for more than six hours, and people nearby have been evacuated. A sniper and spotter were seen on a rooftop by the station as well.
Tucson police Sgt. Pete Dugan said the man showed up at the West Side substation around 6:45 a.m. Wednesday. He walked up to the front door and tried to enter, but the doors were locked, Dugan said.
The unidentified man then rang an emergency button and tried to talk to police inside. But he sounded incoherent and police went outside to talk to him. By the time they arrived, the man had gone inside his RV and called 911. The dispatchers called officers at the substation and told them the man was threatening to blow up his RV, which was parked directly next to the building.
The substation, a nearby convenience store and a mobile home park have been evacuated, Dugan said. The man has refused to come out of the RV but has occasionally shown the gasoline and hammer.
“Right now we’re just trying to see if we can bring everything to a peaceful end,” Dugan said.
Dugan said there are about 60 police personnel on scene, including the bomb squad, a mental health support team, the Tucson Fire Department and the Pima County Sheriff’s Office. The state Department of Public Safety has shut down roads around the area.
Police first encountered the man Monday when he tried to file a complaint at the substation but was told he had to contact Internal Affairs. The man didn’t make a big scene, but he also didn’t leave for a while, Dugan said.
Copyright 2016 Associated Press