Seymour police are determining whether to arrest a man who prompted an hours-long bomb scare in downtown Seymour Wednesday evening after he threatened police officers.
The incident started at 6:45 p.m. Wednesday. By 10:30 p.m., Seymour police and state police bomb squad members had determined there was no danger at the Seymour Police Department or at the man’s apartment on DeForest Street.
The ordeal began when the man, who was not identified by police, parked his black Saturn at the Seymour Police Department on Franklin Street, then went inside and made vague threats to officers.
“It led (officers) to believe there was some type of hazardous materials or explosives in his vehicle,” Lt. Paul Satkowski said Thursday.
Satkowski said he did not know the exact wording the man used.
The man was upset and acting in an erratic manner, Satkowski said.
“Based on his behavior and his demeanor, we felt he wasn’t in his right mind,” Satkowski said.
So police had the man transported to the hospital for a medical evaluation.
In the ambulance on the way to the hospital, the man made other statements that prompted police to evacuate his apartment building on DeForest Street and search his second-floor unit.
“We went over there to ensure everything was in a safe and orderly manner,” Satkowski said.
Police used a fire department ladder truck to look into the man’s second-story window before going into his apartment to investigate, according to First Selectman Kurt Miller.
While the investigations were going on, police closed off DeForest Street and Franklin Street to traffic.
“I think the police, Fire Department and EMS acted appropriately,” Miller said Thursday.
Watertown police were in Seymour earlier Wednesday to interview the man about his car because of an ownership dispute over the vehicle, Satkowski said.
Satkowski said it’s not clear whether the man was upset over that interaction, or whether it prompted him to make threats to the Seymour police officers.
