CLEVELAND HEIGHTS — A man has been charged following a 15 1/2 hour standoff with Cleveland Heights police, police say.
Szilard Takacs, 42, is charged with inducing panic in the standoff that started about 10 a.m. Friday on Belmar Road near Mayfield Road, according to a news release from Cleveland Heights police.
Officers were called to check on the welfare of Takacs after police received emails from him threatening to hurt himself over a pending eviction notice, the release says.
Officers and Mobile Crisis arrived on scene and tried to contact him.
Takacs refused to speak with anyone after multiple attempts and barricaded himself inside the home, the release says.
Police evacuated several residents in the area as a safety precaution and the SWAT team and negotiators were called, the release says.
The Cleveland Heights Fire Department and Bomb Squad also came to the scene as a precaution because of concern surrounding suspicious materials found in Takacs home. Police did not say what was found in his home.
Negotiators spent hours trying to talk to Takacs who refused to speak.
The SWAT team entered the third floor of the home about 1:30 a.m. and found Takacs barricaded in the bathroom, the release says.
Officers spoke with Takacs where he was taken into custody, the release says.
The investigation is ongoing and additional charges are expected to be filed, the release says.
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