Standoff in Old Mill Court

After three men locked themselves into an apartment at Old Mill Court on Sunday, Rockville Centre police were involved in a tense, 45-minute standoff before a Nassau County Police Department SWAT team forced their way into the building.

According to police, a call came in at 2:35 p.m. on Aug. 3, reporting that a man was brandishing a gun in the apartment complex. When police arrived, the suspect and two other men locked themselves in an apartment that was not theirs, and where there was a child.

Village police contacted the NCPD for backup, and a tactical unit arrived. SWAT team members forced their way into the apartment and took all three men into custody. After a search of the apartment, however, no gun was found, and the men were released.

“Because there was a gun [reported] and the possibility of a baby in the apartment, patrol didn’t want to just break in,” Rockville Centre Police Commissioner Charles Gennario said. “They wanted to do it safely, both for the occupants and the police officers, especially if there was a child in the apartment.”