A man who brandished a knife at a family member during a mental health crisis on Tanglewood Way was taken into custody Saturday, July 19, without anyone getting hurt, Andover police said.

Lt. Frank Fitzpatrick of the Andover Police Department said the incident began when a father "was suffering from a mental health crisis and did brandish a knife toward a family member within the home." The family member fled to a neighbor's house, and the neighbor called 911.

Multiple officers responded. Once they confirmed the remaining occupants had safely left the residence, they slowed the situation down before making entry, Fitzpatrick told Andover News in an email published Monday, July 20.

When officers entered, the man was no longer armed. He was taken into custody without incident and transported by ambulance to a hospital for a Section 12 emergency mental health evaluation, a Massachusetts law that allows police to seek up to three days of involuntary hospitalization when someone poses a risk of serious harm due to mental illness.

Fitzpatrick said the man will face criminal charges through Lawrence District Court. Police did not identify him or specify the charges as of Monday.

Emergency radio transmissions captured details of the response: officers recovered a meat cleaver and a chef's knife outside the home and requested firearms information for the address before entering. Dispatch confirmed no licenses to carry were on file. An ambulance staged nearby until the scene was secured.

Fitzpatrick credited the department's de-escalation training for the outcome.

"I would like to commend the involved officers who, due to their extensive training, particularly in the area of de-escalation, were able to bring about a safe outcome to what was an extremely tense and dangerous incident," he said.

The Tanglewood Way response is the second time this year Andover police resolved a mental health crisis without injuries. On Monday, Feb. 10, officers and a regional SWAT team responded to a barricaded subject at an apartment complex on Haverhill Street; that incident also ended peacefully.

The department has not specified which training program it uses or how the training is funded. No court date or Select Board review of the incident has been publicly scheduled.