Police: Man arrested after 14-hour standoff in Westfield
Police say Michael Ward was holding a knife above his head with the blade pointed toward the officers.
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A man was arrested after a 14-hour standoff with police in Westfield.
Police say they were called to a home Wednesday afternoon for a domestic dispute. They say Michael Ward, 41, answered the door with a foot-long knife in his hand. They say Ward was holding the knife above his head with the blade pointed toward the officers.
When officers told Ward to drop the knife, police said he refused to do so, told the officers to leave, and then locked himself in his house.
Police say Ward's mother was inside the home at the time of the incident. They say she was able to get out of the home unharmed.
Police say they learned that earlier in the day, Ward grabbed his wife around her throat and agreed only to stop if she called the police. Police say Ward indicated to them that it was his intent to draw a police response and to then die by suicide by cop.
The standoff finally ended Thursday morning when the SWAT team entered the house and arrested Ward.
