Duluth Apartment Evacuation Ends Peacefully After Mental Health Crisis, Firearms Surrendered

Hours of tense negotiation at a Duluth apartment complex on Leonard Street ended without injuries Wednesday evening when a person in a mental health crisis surrendered firearms to officers and roughly 90 displaced residents were allowed back into their homes.

The Duluth Police Department's Crisis Response Team was called to Piedmont Manor Apartments on the evening of March 11 after police received a report that someone inside had threatened to shoot themselves. Around nine DPD squad cars, a drone, and a fire truck converged on the building, prompting the evacuation of tenants while negotiators worked to de-escalate the situation.

A tenant told reporters the evacuation had been underway for about three hours before it concluded. At 8:23 p.m., the department confirmed the individual had surrendered firearms to responding officers after hours of negotiating. The person declined medical attention and was left safely inside their residence. No injuries were reported.

The lockout complicated more than just daily routines. Aaron Crosby, who said he visits the building regularly, told reporters he had been unable to get inside to deliver medication to his aunt, who has Alzheimer's disease and was immobile inside her unit. "I've been here every morning, every night," Crosby said. "I see these people here every morning, every night. Same people, lot of long-term residents, some shorter but, you know, it's got a locked door, locked entry, so, you always feel safe."

That sense of security was restored once police cleared the scene. All tenants were permitted back into their apartments after the 8:23 p.m. update from DPD.

The Duluth Police Department has not publicly identified the individual involved or released information about whether any charges, citations, or emergency mental health holds were pursued following the surrender of the firearms.