DENVER (CBS4)– Police officers in Denver pulled a man from the South Platte River on Thursday afternoon and took him into custody after a standoff that lasted more than an hour.
“The passerby was concerned and at that time officers did respond. The male did not want to come out of the water,” said Denver Police spokeswoman Raquel Lopez.
Several police officers gathered on the bank of the river about 4 p.m. to try to coax a man from the water near Santa Fe and Florida Avenue. He had a knife and after several minutes, there was a massive response of officers, firefighters and a swift water rescue team along the banks of the river.
“Somebody having a knife is always a concern to us. Being in the river we were not just concerned for our safety but his safety as well,” said Lopez.
After trying to negotiate with the man and sending him floating devices four different times, the man repeatedly stabbed the floating board.
Copter4 flew over the South Platte River where police arrested a man after a standoff in the water (credit: CBS)
“We ended up having a standoff because at that point we need to do whatever we can and take whatever measures we need to to get him into custody,” said Lopez.
Copter4 flew over the river as the officers grabbed the knife from him. Once he was unarmed, they escorted him to shore where he was taken into custody.
“Being in the water you don’t know how deep it is or how fast it’s running,” said Lopez.
The man was taken away in an ambulance where he was evaluated at the hospital.
It is unclear why the man was trying to avoid police or how he got into the water in the first place.
Officers were initially called to the river on a welfare check.
