PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — A standoff with an armed suspect came to a peaceful end Thursday afternoon as Providence police took the man into custody.
The suspect, identified as Timothy Desjardins, came out of an Atwells Avenue barbershop with his hands in the air before he was placed in handcuffs.
Providence Police Chief Hugh Clements said it all began when two patrol officers saw Desjardins with a gun in his hand just before 2:30 p.m. As the officers approached, Clements said Desjardins ran into the nearby business and barricaded himself inside.
Police then closed off the area and called for backup, Clements said. Officers and SWAT team members were seen surrounding the building with their guns drawn.
Eventually, trained negotiators were able to make contact with Desjardins and convince him to surrender.
“They did an outstanding job in talking him safely out of the building,” Clements said. “It wasn’t quick, as they never are, but in barricaded subject terms, actually, it was.”
Rick Simone of the Federal Hill Commerce Association thanked police for their hard work, adding that he’s grateful it all ended peacefully.
“The situation was resolved really quickly, considering what they had to deal with,” Simone said. “Federal Hill is safe, and they’ve taken someone off the street who has been a problem in the past.”
Clements confirmed Desjardins was arrested last month after an apparent road rage incident in which he allegedly shot another man in an Atwells Avenue parking lot.
Desjardins is scheduled to be arraigned Friday as a bail violator.
