A Portland man allegedly sparked a police standoff on Monday after threatening his landlord, neighbors, and other bystanders with an unspecified weapon before eventually surrendering to police after hours of negotiations.
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Police responded to 55 Portland Street at around noon after receiving calls from employees of the nearby Preble Street homeless shelter reporting a man repeatedly threatening his landlord and others.
Using a National Crime Information Center (NCIC) check, police determined that the suspect, Gregory Vanchester Gilliams, 51, of Portland, was allegedly a serious threat to the public.
Officers from Portland’s Special Reaction Team (SRT) and Crisis Negotiators Team (CNT) arrived later that afternoon and attempted to take Gilliams into custody at 12 Hanover Street.
It is not clear how or why Gilliams was able to move from 55 Portland Street to 12 Hanover Street.
Officers spent hours negotiating with Gilliams, who eventually surrendered with no further resistance.
He was transported to the Cumberland County Jail, and faces charges for criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon, terrorizing, creating a police standoff, and violating conditions of release.
