Area police respond to armed disturbance

AUSTINTOWN­ — An Austintown man was transported to a hospital after threatening suicide with a sawed-off shotgun.

Austintown police arrived at a home on Westmont Drive at 6:34 p.m. Friday to a 49-year-old man who was intoxicated and distraught due to family problems. Refusing to follow police instructions, the man told officers he would shoot himself with a “sawed-off” shotgun.

The Mahoning Valley Law Enforcement Task Force Crisis Response Team was called to the scene and negotiated with the man to exit the home peacefully. He was taken into custody and transported to a local hospital for observation.

Police did not release the man’s name or the charges against him tonight.