Police took an alleged gunman into custody in the Flatiron District this afternoon after he reportedly waved a weapon at workers on a scaffold outside of his building.
Workers laboring on a scaffold on a building at Broadway and East 22 Street called police to report that a man inside the building waved a gun at them shortly before 1 p.m., police said.
"Get away, get away," the gunman allegedly screamed, according to a police source.
A large NYPD presence was on the scene as there were initial reports that the man was barricaded inside the building. The bizarre incident paralyzed part of the Flatiron District as reports of a hostage situation spread through the neighborhood and on social media.
The man initially refused to open the door to his apartment, but police negotiators convinced him to surrender without incident and the man was led away in handcuffs at about 3:45 p.m.
Authorities are investigating the reports that he had a weapon and were waiting for a search warrant to check his apartment. The suspect, Kenneth Clarfield, 69, was described as a hoarder with an apartment full of debris, according to a police source. Neighbors said he lived in the building for 30 years but rarely went outside, the source said.
