A sword-wielding man surrendered to police after he smashed windows of a store and charged at an officer in an hour-long ordeal Wednesday that led to a lockdown of several businesses in Hunterdon County, authorities said.
The man, whose name was not immediately made public, faces charges including aggravated assault against a police officer, a weapons offense and criminal mischief, according to the Raritan Township Police Department.
Authorities said the confrontation began around 3:20 p.m. when Raritan police received a report the man broke the windows using a sword at a deli on State Highway 31, near Sand Hill Road. The man walked along the highway and into a wooded area near a fitness center, according to the department.
Raritan and Flemington officers ordered the man to drop his sword, but he refused and ran toward an officer “in an aggressive manner,” police said in a statement. “Officers were forced to deploy less lethal munitions in order to stop the male’s aggression and non-compliance.”
He again fled into the woods along the Raritan River, according to police. Several local businesses went into lockdown as the incident unfolded. Police from Readington, West Amwell, Tewksbury, Lambertville, Clinton Township, the Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office, county park officers and county’s SWAT team were called to assist.
Police managed to carry on a conversation with the man while he walked along the river before he agreed to drop the sword shortly before 4:30 p.m., authorities said. He was taken for evaluation at a local hospital. No injuries were reported.
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Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com.
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