06/17/2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, June 16, 2026
Suicidal Male Barricade
On Tuesday, June 16, 2026, at approximately 4:12 PM, our officers were dispatched to a residence in the Bowles Avenue area for the report of a male party who had armed himself with multiple knives, and made suicidal statements to his girlfriend. The male party had stated that he intended to harm himself, as well as any police officers who responded. He indicated that he intended “suicide by cop”. The male party was believed to be inside his apartment alone, as his girlfriend had been taken to a safe location. On scene, our officers were able to establish a perimeter and begin the process of vacating surrounding apartments. Crisis Negotiators attached to the CEMLEC SWAT team were called, and responded to the scene. After briefly establishing communication with the male party, he emerged from his apartment carrying two knives, and began running towards our officers with one of the knives held up over his head. Our officers were able to utilize a TASER energy weapon to subdue the individual. He was treated on scene, and transported to the hospital for evaluation. Thankfully, none of our officers were injured. We would like to thank our partners at Wachusett Regional Dispatch, West Boylston Fire Department, Boylston Police Department, Holden Police Department and CEMLEC SWAT for helping us bring this situation to a safe conclusion. We would also like to thank our officers for their continued professionalism and dedication to keeping our community safe.
Thomas Balvin
Acting Chief of Police
