BLOOMINGTON — Bloomington and Indiana University police have taken a man into custody who allegedly entered the city's sewer system armed with a gun.
The incident started when Bloomington Police Department officers were called to Seminary Park around 9:30 a.m. on the report of a man swinging a steel rod, according to a press release from Bloomington police. While they were responding, they got a report the man went to a nearby parking lot to get a hatchet.
The man, later identified as a 37-year-old, then walked towards people in the park and threw a hatchet at them before walking south on First Street, according to the release. Officers later determined the man entered a storm drain.
This led to an hours-long standoff involving SWAT teams and several emergency alerts from Indiana University.
As the investigation continued, Bloomington police said the man told officers and he would shoot them if he entered the storm drain, according to the release.
He was eventually arrested on several preliminary charges, according to the release. Formal charges haven't been filed. He also had an outstanding warrant out of Daviess County for battery against a public safety official.
Bloomington police say there were no shots fired and he only had an empty handgun holster, according to the release. No firearms were located in the sewer system, but officers will continue searching to locate any possible firearms.
IUPD also urged people to disregard false reports of an active shooter on campus. The suspect is barricaded in the storm system and is not on campus.
WRTV Senior Digital Content Producer Andrew Smith contributed to this report.
-
ISP arrests man for attempted murder in two Monument Circle attacks, 1 deadly
Indiana State Police have arrested a man in connection with two attacks near Monument that left one man dead, and another hospitalized.
Former USPS employee, 2 others charged in stealing $255K in prepaid debit cards
A former United States Postal Service employee and two co-conspirators face charges after they reportedly stole hundreds of thousands of dollars in prepaid debit cards from the mail.
AG Rokita demands Merrillville stop blocking ICE detention facilities
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita is demanding the Town of Merrillville stop blocking federal immigration enforcement. He warned the town to comply by July 15 or face a lawsuit.
High heat and humidity all week long
High heat and humidity will be in place all week long. Heat indices or feels like temperatures will be into the triple digits through the rest of the work week.
