Fake Firearm Recovered Following Incident That Closed Off Court Street On Tuesday

BOERUM HILL/COBBLE HILL – A 47-year-old man was taken into custody and an “imitation pistol” was recovered following a police investigation Tuesday morning that closed down the intersection of Atlantic Avenue and Court Street, as well as surrounding streets, for hours.

At approximately 8:50am on Tuesday, March 19, police responded to a call regarding an “emotionally disturbed male” at a Court Street building just north of Atlantic Avenue. The man, alone and possibly armed, had barricaded himself inside a 9th floor apartment and refused to open the door, according to an NYPD representative.

Police were able to communicate with the man through the door. “When they arrived, the apartment door was unlocked, but a security chain was in place. The door could only be opened a few inches, but cops saw a man sitting on a couch with a gun,” NYPD Deputy Chief Robert Lukach told the New York Daily News.

The NYPD’s Technical Assistance Response Unit (TARU) sent a drone up to the building’s 9th floor window to monitor the man from the outside. The officers communicating with the man inside were able to convince him to place the gun by the window. When the TARU team saw him place his weapon onto the window sill, the Emergency Service Unit officers were then able to safely apprehend him without incident.

The situation was under control shortly after 2pm, according to the NYPD rep. The weapon officers recovered at the scene was an imitation pistol.

The man was taken to NY-P Brooklyn Methodist Hospital for further evaluation, according to the representative. No charges have been filed against him yet.