A more than five-hour police standoff with a man suspected to have been armed with a gun turned into a manhunt Wednesday evening when police discovered he was no longer at the scene of the North Lawrence incident.

In a press release, Lawrence Police Department spokesman Andrew Fennelly said police are currently trying to locate 27-year-old John Robert Berry, who is suspected of aggravated assault.

Police were dispatched about 3 p.m. Wednesday to a disturbance with weapons at the trailer court in the 100 block of Maple Street, behind Johnny’s Tavern, Lawrence Police Department Sgt. Amy Rhoads said Wednesday afternoon.

Rhoads said initial information indicated a man inside one of the trailers was suicidal and believed to be armed with a gun. The reports indicated there was a second man inside the trailer with him who was unable to leave, and police were concerned for the safety of that man, who is physically disabled, Rhoads said.

There was also a woman inside the trailer when police were dispatched, but she got out, Rhoads said. Rhoads said the woman experienced a medical condition as she was leaving the residence and was checked by paramedics at the scene.

More than a dozen police vehicles responded, and law enforcement agents on scene included officers in tactical gear with rifles.

As a safety precaution, other residents of the trailer court were evacuated, Rhoads said. Police asked the public to avoid the area behind Johnny’s Tavern and the nearby levee. The Kansas River bridge to North Lawrence and North Second Street were still open to traffic.

One man who apparently breached the police perimeter was arrested at 141 Maple St. for alleged interference with a law enforcement officer, a misdemeanor, around 5 p.m. Wednesday, according to the Douglas County Jail booking log. It’s not clear what that man’s relationship to the scene is, as the booking log lists a rural address for him.

The release said police made telephone contact with the suspect Wednesday evening but were unable to verify his location or convince him to reveal where he was.

At about 8:30 p.m., police used an investigative robot to enter the residence in the 100 block of Maple Street and discovered the suspect was not in the residence, the release said. The release didn’t provide further details about how police believe the suspect has avoided detection.

Police are asking anyone with information on the suspect’s location to call 911.

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