Hours-Long Mental Health Crisis Unfolds Outside Hennepin Healthcare in Minneapolis
Photo from Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office
Published: March 5th, 2026 |
MINNEAPOLIS MN: Deputies with the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office responded to a person in crisis outside Hennepin Healthcare on Thursday morning after a vehicle blocking traffic drew concern near the hospital.
According to the sheriff’s office, deputies arrived to find the individual inside the vehicle actively cutting themself on the head with multiple knives. Deputies immediately began working to stabilize the situation, and within minutes HCSO crisis negotiators arrived on scene to assist.
Negotiators spent hours speaking with the individual in an effort to convince them to put down the weapons and accept help. During the incident, Chicago Avenue and 6th Street were shut down, and at one point a portion of the hospital’s Emergency Room was placed on lockdown as a precaution.
After about two hours, negotiators were making progress and the individual was responding to attempts to get them to exit the vehicle and seek medical care. However, the situation escalated suddenly when the person began cutting their own throat.
Deputies then used less-lethal munitions to break the vehicle’s windows so they could gain access and intervene. Authorities say the action allowed them to quickly reach the individual and provide life-saving aid. The person was transported to the hospital and is now receiving treatment.
While the incident unfolded, a crowd of roughly 20 to 30 people gathered nearby and began shouting obscenities toward deputies, according to the sheriff’s office. Officials said such behavior can escalate tensions during delicate crisis situations where a person’s mental state is already unstable.
The sheriff’s office thanked HCSO crisis negotiators and responding deputies, as well as the Minneapolis Police Department, the Minneapolis Behavioral Crisis Team, and Hennepin Healthcare paramedics for helping bring the situation to a safe resolution.
Crisis negotiators with the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office are specially trained to communicate with people experiencing mental health crises, as well as those involved in barricaded or hostage situations and other high-risk incidents involving weapons.
If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available. You can call or text 988, the National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, for confidential support 24 hours a day.