NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — An armed man who barricaded himself inside his home on Melrose Parkway is police custody after a 67-hour standoff.
Norfolk Police say the standoff came to an end around 3:32 a.m. Thursday.
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Police began letting residents back in their homes late Wednesday night, but officers monitored who was coming and going from the houses surrounding the barricaded man.
Police negotiated with the suspect for almost three days because they said they did not want to force their hand, and were looking for a peaceful resolution.
Police officials tweeted about the situation shortly after 9:30 a.m. Monday, and advised people to avoid the area. Daniel Hudson with Norfolk Police told WAVY.com officers were called to the area around 8:25 a.m. for reports of vandalism.
Responding officers encountered a man armed with a gun who ran inside of a house. According to police, no one else was inside of the home.
Police said earlier in the week that they believe the man has several weapons, so they are concerned about safety.
All nearby residents were asked Monday to shelter in place.
Residents within the block are being allowed into their homes with a police escort — a measure that began Tuesday morning. Police say the residents are being allowed to gather items and get what they need.
Officers are then escorting them back out as a measure of caution. ODU Police officers could be seen escorting students home Monday evening.
Hudson said Crisis Team Members responded to the scene Monday to "help the individual in need."
Hudson says a SWAT team has responded to the situation, which is located one block away from Old Dominion University's campus. Chesapeake's SWAT Team and the Newport News Bomb Squad have also been at the scene to assist Norfolk Police, along with units from Virginia Beach Police.
Norfolk Police used a robot Monday in order to take a phone to the man so that officers could communicate with him. Virginia State Police also brought in their own robot Tuesday, police said.
ODU spokesperson Giovanna Genard shared with WAVY.com the statement issued to the ODU Campus Community on the incident Monday morning:
Norfolk Police is conducting an investigation into a barricade situation in the 1500 block of Melrose Parkway in the Larchmont neighborhood of Norfolk. Please stay clear of the area until further notice."
Police say the man inside the home is not a student at ODU. Although authorities haven't identified the suspect, neighbors and several people who know him identified the suspect as Larry Wooster.
"I'm worried for him because I don't really think that he understands what's going on or understands the gravity of it," said Chris Nickel, a friend of Wooster's. "When more healthy — we'll put it that way — he's a nice guy."
Nickel says her family used to live near Wooster and she was his power of attorney several years ago because he wasn't married and had no children or family nearby.
Nickel says she also assisted him in self-publishing his second book about his time in Vietnam, which describes Wooster as a retired Air Force Major who has degrees from Virginia Tech and ODU. The book, published in 2012, says Wooster has lived in Norfolk for 30 years and at that time, was a minor art dealer and volunteer mental health counselor. Nickel says Wooster lost his counseling license several years ago.
"I think that there are some issues right now and I don't think that he is thinking clearly," Nickel said.
Lisa Suhay says she met Wooster several years ago. Living nearby, she's seen him from time to time.
"In better days, obviously he was always friendly to me," Suhay said.
Despite the three-day roadblocks and the massive police presence in her neighborhood, Suhay believes police are handling this the right way to avoid using force.
"What you have to realize is this is a man in his 70s, he's a member of the community and he needs help," Suhay says.
Senior ODU students who live nearby said they learned just a little about what was happening down the street through social media.
"I came out here, took a look and it was a lot of police cars," Michael Hayes said.
"I just woke up, went on Twitter, you know, social media, and read these tweets," Elmer Baker said.
The students said the situation has caused an inconvenience they hope gets resolved soon.
"I have a lot of friends who live on that street and they say it has stopped them from going to class, getting food," Hayes said.
Kelli Goforth, a senior ODU who lives nearby, said, "It was concerning in the beginning. I think that police pretty much have it under control and at this point, we just need to get him out so everyone can go home and get on with their lives."