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Garfield police conducting a Harrison Avenue welfare check just before 1 a.m. were met by 45-year-old Michael Kapotis, who “made suicidal threats,” Capt. Darren Sucorowski said this morning.
As the officers tried to take him to a hospital for a mental evaluation, Kapotis “became verbally abusive and combative,” shoving one officer and resisting attempts to handcuff him, Sucorowski said.
He also repeatedly said he had a bomb in the apartment, the captain said.
“Officers evacuated six people from the other apartments in the building, along with six additional people from neighboring buildings,” Sucorowski said. “A perimeter was set up and all traffic was shut down on Harrison Avenue between Clark Street and Frederick Street.”
Garfield police were soon joined by the Bergen County Police Department Bomb Squad, which gave the all-clear around 3 a.m.
Also responding were city firefighters, along with BLS & ALS units from Hackensack University Medical Center.
“There was no evidence of any bomb, explosives, or bomb-making materials located,” Sucorowski said. “Residents were allowed back into their homes and the perimeter was broken down.”
As CLIFFVIEW PILOT reported earlier, Kapotis was being evaluated in a secure area of Bergen Regional Medical Center. Bail was set at $15,000 on charges of aggravated assault on a police officer, making a false public alarm and resisting arrest, records show.
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