By Shereen Siewert
UPDATED: Police in Stevens Point say a standoff with a 37-year-old man accused of attempting to steal a catalytic converter ended peacefully and the man is now in custody.
The suspect has been identified as Jeffrey Grenlie.
See our earlier reporting, below.
UPDATE: Police in Stevens Point say they are negotiating with a man who climbed to the roof of a home and is threatening suicide, hours after he allegedly fled from a traffic stop.
In a brief news conference, Stevens Point Assistant Police Chief Mike Rottier told reporters that county officials at 8:20 a.m. Tuesday received a report of an attempted catalytic converter theft in the town of Plover. Stevens Point officers located the vehicle on the city’s south side and attempted a traffic stop.
The driver fled, and after a short pursuit the vehicle crashed into the porch of a home and ran away on foot into a home in the 2500 block of Water Street, Rottier said. Police set up a perimeter, identified the suspect, surrounded the home and began negotiating his surrender.
But those negotiations broke down and the man, who is the sole suspect in the attempted burglary, became suicidal and moved to the roof.
Rottier said police are working to de-escalate the situation for a peaceful surrender, but the public is not in any danger at this time. The suspect’s vehicle was towed from the scene.
“We have negotiators on the scene and we’re willing to work with him,” Rottier said.
A portion of Water street that was closed to the public has reopened. The suspect’s name has not been released.
See our earlier reporting, below.
Police in Stevens Point are asking the public to stay away from the 2500 block of Water Street as they work to mitigate an “ongoing active incident.”
Drivers should take an alternate route if they travel through the area.
No additional details have been publicly released about the incident. A Point/Plover MetroWire reporter tells Wausau Pilot & Review a portion of the road is blocked off and a flatbed truck was called to the scene to remove a vehicle.
The Stevens Point Police Department is working with the Portage County Sheriff’s Department, Wisconsin State Patrol, Plover Police Department and emergency crews from Stevens Point.
This is a developing story and will be updated when additional information is released.
Brandi Makuski of Point/Plover MetroWire contributed to the reporting on this story.
