A man was taken to the hospital for a mental evaluation after a 30-minute standoff with police involving a pickax Sunday morning.
Around 11:25 a.m., California Highway Patrol received a call about a man walking on southbound Interstate 5 near Main Street. He was seen carrying a pickax and throwing rocks at passing cars, police said.
When officers attempted to contact the man, he ran off into Otay Valley Regional Park, San Diego Police Department Lt. Christian Sharp said.
SDPD called in ABLE helicopter to search for the man and he was located in the Otay River. The man then took a fighting stance with the ax and officers called in the K-9 units.
"He was brandishing a pickax and wasn't putting it down," Sharp said. "Eventually, we negotiated him to drop the pickax and after 30 minutes of continued negotiation, he ended giving up."
The man was transported to a county hospital for evaluations, Sharp said.
It was unclear what charges if any, the man may face.
