LAKE OZARK, Mo. — A man threatening to kill himself and claiming to have a bomb is what brought Lake Ozark Police and other emergency personnel to Highway W on Friday night.
Prior reports from civilians of a hostage situation and shots being fired at the scene of the incident proved to be incorrect, according to Lake Ozark Police Chief Gary Launderville.
The Lake Ozark Police Department received a 911 call on the evening of Friday, Dec. 2 from subject at 69 North Shore Drive (Highway W) requesting help. According to Launderville, the call was disconnected before further information could be obtained.
An officer from Lake Ozark Police Department and a Missouri State Highway Patrol Trooper arrived on scene at the Lakeland Apartments and made verbal contact with a male subject who had locked himself in his bedroom. The subject claimed to have a knife and was threatening to harm himself.
The male subject then claimed to have a bomb in the bedroom. Officers called for assistance, set up a perimeter and evacuated the surrounding apartments. Highway W was closed down to traffic and rerouted for the safety of the public. Additionally, a nearby house fire compounded the situation and added the need for even more emergency personnel in the area.
A negotiator from the Missouri State Highway Patrol was called in to assist. After 1.5 hours, the subject exited the apartment, with officers, without incident.
The subject was transported by ambulance to Lake Regional Hospital and was treated for lacerations to his arms, caused by broken glass. According to Chief Launderville, the subject suffers from a mental health issue. No weapons or bombs were found on the premises.
