An allegedly suicidal San Francisco man is in custody, after a dramatic standoff that went on for 22 hours.
According to San Francisco Police Department spokesperson Sergeant Michael Andraychak, 51-year-old Magnom F. Carolino made several 911 calls Monday evening. As "dispatchers at the Department of Emergency Management were unable to determine the nature of the emergency," officers were sent to Carolino's location, a home on the 500 block of Campbell Avenue.
When they arrived at around 6 p.m. Monday, Andraychak says that Carolino "was in crisis...made threats to commit suicide," and that while he was speaking with police Carolino "threatened to blow up the residence."
As a result of the alleged threats, homes adjacent to the scene were evacuated, crews with the San Francisco Fire Department were summoned, and area gas service was turned off.
Officers from SFPD's Crisis Hostage Negotiation Team that had been called to the scene attempted to engage Carolino, even as they heard "crashing noises as he moved about the interior of the residence" and eventually "covered several windows, blocking one with a mattress," Andraychak says.
This continued, Andraychak says, for nearly a day. At around 3 p.m. Tuesday, Carolino "became agitated and began making suicidal threats again" then "stepped through the living room window and onto a ledge, threatening to jump before retreating back into the residence."
According to Andraychak, Carolino then "became increasingly agitated, throwing liquid bleach on the front gate and onto several officers who were positioned as an arrest team." That seemed to be the last straw for officers, who at 3:43 stormed the residence and took Carolino into custody as he "was standing just inside the front door of the residence" and "appeared to be drinking the bleach."
Once Carolino was detained, SFPD's Explosive Ordinance Disposal Unit searched the residence and determined there were no destructive devices present, Andraychak says.
Carolino was transported to a local hospital, and was then booked into San Francisco County Jail for twelve counts of assault with a caustic chemical, twelve counts of aggravated assault on a peace officer, making a false report of a bomb and resisting arrest, Andraychak says.
"Several officers were later treated to exposure to bleach," Andraychak says, "including one whose eyes were exposed to the caustic chemical." All had been released from the hospital by Wednesday afternoon, and are expected to recover from their injuries.
If someone you know exhibits warning signs of suicide: do not leave the person alone; remove any firearms, alcohol, drugs or sharp objects that could be used in a suicide attempt; and call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or take the person to an emergency room or seek help from a medical or mental health professional.