Children safe, man in custody after North Philly standoff

NORTH PHILADELPHIA (WTXF) - A man is in custody following a barricade situation in North Philadelphia that transpired overnight.

Around 1:45 a.m. Tuesday, police responded to West Susquehanna Avenue and North Howard Street, where a 41-year-old man was screaming from a third-floor window. Police say the man wasn't making sense and that, when asked to come out of the house, he refused.

At one point, the man reportedly picked up his 3-year-old daughter and held her body through the open window, and police were worried he would drop her. A barricade situation ensued, and a hostage negotiator was called to the scene.

"The entire time you could hear children screaming in the background," said Chief Inspector Scott Small. "So we were afraid one or more of the children may be harmed, so police went inside."

Small said the man resisted arrest, punching and kicking officers. The man was taken in for a mental health evaluation and placed into custody.

The children, both the 3-year-old girl and an 8-year-old boy, are currently safe with their mother.