Armed man safely apprehended after long standoff in downtown SF

A San Francisco Police Officer tosses a flash bang grenade toward a suspect during a standoff in San Francisco, California, on Wednesday, July 6, 2016. A San Francisco Police Officer tosses a flash bang grenade toward a suspect during a standoff in San Francisco, California, on Wednesday, July 6, 2016. Photo: Connor Radnovich, The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Connor Radnovich, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 29 Caption Close Armed man safely apprehended after long standoff in downtown SF 1 / 29 Back to Gallery

A tense 3½-hour standoff between police and an armed, belligerent, bare-chested man ended late Wednesday afternoon on a Tenderloin street corner after San Francisco officers fired a barrage of flash grenades and whisked the suspect away in an ambulance.

The bizarre incident tied up traffic for hours and brought the area around McAllister and Jones streets to a standstill.

“This person was threatening to do harm to (himself) and made several statements to the effect that he wanted to die and he wanted the police to take his life,” said San Francisco Police Chief Toney Chaplin.

Chaplin said prolonging the standoff allowed police to protect “the sanctity of life” and avoid a fatal shooting.

“We would’ve stayed out here until tomorrow,” he said. “The bottom line is, we were able to resolve it because we had enough time.”

Mayor Ed Lee issued a statement after the standoff, thanking police officers for using restraint and lauding Chaplin’s efforts.

“I want to praise Acting Police Chief Toney Chaplin for his leadership during the tense negotiations with this armed man,” Lee said. “In direct communication with me all afternoon, he continually showed the judgement and prudence that resulted in a non-violent outcome.

“The handling of the situation today is a reflection of the emphasis that we put on de-escalation training in recent months. We are making critical investments to rebuild trust with our communities and are changing how our police officers handle conflicts on our City streets.”

The incident began around 2:15 p.m., when officers confronted a man who was acting strangely.

Officer Grace Gatpandan, a police spokeswoman, said officers asked the man to show his hands, believing he might be armed. When the man refused the request, officers fired beanbag rounds at him.

The man lay facedown on the ground in front of the renovated Hibernia Bank building and refused officers’ demands to cooperate. At one point, a beanbag struck the suspect but had little effect on him.

A woman who identified herself to police as a cousin of the suspect arrived and attempted to talk him into surrendering. A small crowd gathered, some shouting taunts at officers.

Late in the afternoon, officers fired about a dozen flash grenades at the suspect. The loud, bright projectiles seemed to disorient him, and officers were able to rush in and take him into custody. The suspect did, in fact, possess a handgun, which had remained in his pocket throughout most of the incident.

Chaplin said the man brandished the gun at one point during the standoff.

The suspect was being evaluated by mental health workers and being treated for non-life-threatening injuries, apparently caused by the impact of the grenades.

As they tried to defuse the situation, authorities told people to avoid the area of Market and Seventh streets, just a few blocks from the Civic Center.

“We’re going to exhaust every possibility to take this person into custody without anyone being harmed,” Gatpandan said.

Police did not identify the suspect, but a relative said that he was known to frequent the area, and was known for being intoxicated and stubborn.

Chaplin said that under his leadership situations with possibly armed suspects are being treated differently than they were in the past. Previous situations where the department had “come under fire” all tended to end quickly, he said.

By lengthening the standoff, Chaplin said, officers had more time to opt for a peaceful resolution.

“Time allows people to calm down, think about what they’re doing and maybe have second thoughts about making themselves a target for the Police Department,” he said. “Time is our friend. The longer we delay these situations, the better they end.”

Chronicle staff writers Kimberly Veklerov and Steve Rubenstein contributed to this report.

Jenna Lyons and Peter Fimrite are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: jlyons@sfchronicle.com, pfimrite@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jennajourno @pfimrite