Oakland International Airport shut down for close to four hours when a man with a knife threatened to harm himself on Tuesday, April 6, reports KCRA3.
The standoff ended safely thanks to officers who thought to turn off the air condition, said authorities.
Around 6:00 A.M. on Tuesday, a man passed a note to a Transportation Safety Administration employee at Terminal 1 that read "Help me."
He then pulled out a large knife and held it up to his throat, according to Alameda County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Tya Modeste.
The terminal was promptly evacuated and deputies attempted to negotiate with the man who was threatening to harm himself, reports KCRA3.
Deputies were able to distract the man by turning off the air conditioning. After becoming uncomfortably hot he went to remove some of his clothing, according to Modeste.
While his guard was down, deputies used a Taser on him and a sergeant was able to get the knife away from him.
Modeste said the man suffered a slight injury to his neck from the knife.
He was taken away from the airport in an ambulance just before 10:00 A.M. and the Sheriff's Office told KCRA3 he would be receiving psychiatric help.
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