COCOA BEACH, Fla. – A Cocoa Beach standoff that disrupted traffic for several hours ended when the person involved was taken into protective custody.
Police said the situation began around midnight after they received a report of a man in distress who was armed with a gun.
Officers later located him at his business, the Calm Collective Kavar Bar on State Road A1A, also known as North Atlantic Avenue, just north of the Minuteman Causeway, at about 4 a.m.
Authorities then spent several hours working to persuade the man to leave the business safely and peacefully.
“It does appear that he was threatening himself. He was an individual in distress. That’s really all I know at this time,” said Lt. Bill Stanley with the Cocoa Beach Police Department.
Around 9 a.m., police said communication with the man stopped, prompting officers to break a window, enter the building and take him into custody.
Nearby businesses have since reopened, and traffic along A1A has resumed.
