Toms River police say they prevented a very dangerous situation from spiraling out of control on Sunday, after a man attempted to commit suicide by cop.

According to police, officers responded to an address for reports of a male brandishing a gun. Upon arrival, officers found a 26-year old male who fit the caller’s description of the individual walking nearby. The man had his left hand in his jacket and appeared to be manipulating an unidentifiable object, possibly a weapon.

After refusing police commands to remove his hand from his pocket and making statements alluding to having a weapon, including saying that he was “going to assault officers or officers were going to have to assault him,” the disturbed man began making jerking motions as if he was about to pull out a firearm.

The police officers on the scene began trying to reason with the individual, but that only made him more impatient and upset. The man then began advancing towards officers, ignoring their commands to stop. At that point, Officer John Marsicano deployed a taser, knocking the man to the ground and immobilizing him, at which point police secured him in handcuffs and had EMS treat him on the scene before being transported to Community Medical Center.

Police later determined that the person who called 911 to report a man with a gun was the disturbed individual himself.

“There were eleven Toms River police officers, and a K-9 officer, on the scene during [the man’s] attempted suicide by cop,” Toms River Police Chief Mitchell Little said. “I would like to commend every one of them for their professionalism and conduct during a very intense situation. There were several different ways the night could have potentially ended, and we are grateful that everyone went home safe to their family at the end of their shift.”

According to the Police Executive Research Forum, 10% to 29% of fatal officer-involved shootings in the United States involve suicide by cop attempts. Suicide by cop usually happens when a despondent individual has the intent to die but does not want to kill themselves. The individuals will either threaten to assault police or begin an actual assault with lethal force, in an attempt to force the police to shoot and kill them.