File Photo – Lake County Sheriff’s Office | Photo: Woo-Sung Shim / Lake and McHenry County Scanner

Lake County Sheriff’s Deputies de-escalated a tense situation involving a man threatening self-harm who was armed with a firearm, authorities said.

Lake County Sheriff’s Deputies were called to an address in the 27700 block of North Orchard Drive in unincorporated Wauconda for an intoxicated man armed with a firearm and threatening suicide at about 5 p.m. on June 3, said Lake County Sheriff’s Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli.

Deputies arrived at the residence and slowly approached when the unidentified man in distress exited his home armed with the firearm, Covelli said.

Deputies successfully utilized de-escalation techniques to communicate with the man and get him to drop the firearm, Covelli said.

Sheriff’s deputies continued communicating with the man and he eventually agreed to walk away from the firearm to the deputies for further assistance, Covelli said.

The man was transported to an area hospital for a mental health evaluation and treatment.

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Deputies retrieved the handgun the man was previously armed with, Covelli said, adding sheriff’s deputies also removed a combination of seven rifles and shotguns and thousands of rounds of ammunition from the man’s home.

A ‘Clear and Present Danger’ form was submitted to the Illinois State Police, Covelli said. A Clear and Present Danger form is the first step in having the Illinois State Police review a person’s Firearm Owner Identification Card and Conceal Carry License status.

“Mental health related calls are at an all-time high. Our deputies yet again slowed down the situation. They took their time to speak to the man in distress with compassion,” said Sheriff John D, Idleburg. “This is another example of how the staff at the sheriff’s office, from our emergency dispatchers to those responding to the scene, utilize de-escalation skills, instead of force. This is an example of what they do every single day. I am very proud of all of those involved in deescalating this tense situation.”

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