Some quick thinking and bold action by UNM police and officers from other law enforcement agencies disarmed a man near campus who was threatening to kill himself with a loaded .357 Magnum handgun Thursday night.
There were no injuries in the incident after Todd Reed, 37, reportedly arrived at UNM Hospital with the handgun and repeatedly threatened to kill himself.
UNM Police Department Cmdr. James Daniels said he was happy with the cooperation between UNMPD and officers from the Albuquerque Police Department and the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office.
"The guys did a good job dealing with him," Daniels said. "A good job all the way around."
The situation began when three UNMPD officers were dispatched to University Hospital in response to a call about a man who was threatening to kill himself.
Dispatch warned officers that the man, later identified as Reed, was armed with a .357 Magnum handgun and that he was currently being driven to the hospital by his sister.
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Reed's father called UNM police before he arrived at the hospital to tell police his son had said that he would confront any law enforcement officers that tried to stop him.
After arriving at the hospital, UNM police met with three deputies from the Bernalillo County Sheriffs' Office and some UNMH Security officers who agreed to help secure the hospital's emergency room area.
As the group was securing the area, Reed arrived with his sister and police drew their weapons.
Reed and his sister reportedly exited the vehicle, began arguing and then police ordered him to obey their commands. Reed continued to argue with his sister and then took his gun from its holster.
He reportedly pointed the gun in the airing and at his head, threatening to kill himself.
According to the report, Reed then walked away from the emergency room entrance, as officers from APD and the sheriffs' office arrived, and headed south toward Lomas Boulevard.
Reed then moved east toward the Indian Health Services Hospital's parking lot at Lomas Boulevard and Vassar Drive.
Officers followed Reed to the parking lot and members of the APD Crisis Intervention Team attempted to persuade him to give up his gun.
Jeff Arbogast, spokesman for Albuquerque police, said the APD has nearly 100 field officers who have been trained to be members of the Crisis Intervention Team. He said the specialized training concerns how to handle mentally disturbed individuals and information about drugs often prescribed to psychiatric patients.
When negotiations failed, Reed began to walk away and that's when officers saw their chance.
According to the UNMPD report, an APD sergeant used his patrol car to provide cover for officers while they crept up to and disarmed Reed.
After he was handcuffed, police secured the fully loaded handgun.
Reed was taken to the UNM Psychiatric Center but was refused admittance because staff thought he was too violent.
Police eventually had Reed medically cleared by UNMH staff and took him to the Bernalillo County Detention Center where he was booked into protective custody.
Reed was issued a citation by UNMPD for negligent use of a firearm, a misdemeanor.
