Harrisonburg: 11-hour mental health standoff ends peacefully, no injuries in incident

An incident involving a man, likely having a mental health crisis, ended peacefully after a nearly 11-hour standoff on Virginia Avenue in Harrisonburg on Sunday.

A crisis negotiation team was called to the scene, and along with Harrisonburg Police Department officers and detectives, attempted to negotiate with the man.

The situation began on Sunday afternoon at approximately 3 p.m. and did not end until 1:20 a.m. Monday morning; no injuries were reported.

Jason Mercado, 28, of Harrisonburg, was evaluated by the Harrisonburg Rescue Squad before being transported to Rockingham-Harrisonburg Regional Jail.

The situation led to a shelter-in-place order for a quarter mile radius surrounding the home at 3:15 p.m.

Officers were called to the scene initially because Mercado was reportedly swinging a machete. When police arrived on scene, he was armed with an AR-15 style rifle.

Mercado retreated into an occupied trailer home with two women inside. Both women were safe and away from Mercado, according to police.

Officers began negotiating with him to come out of the trailer. As officers spoke with Mercado, the two women inside the home were safely escorted out and taken to Sentara RMH for evaluation around 10:45 p.m. Neither of the women reported any injuries.

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After hours of unsuccessful negotiations, the Harrisonburg Police SWAT team executed a search warrant at the residence.

HPD officers, with the help of Virginia State Police, deployed multiple cans of gas into the home at approximately 1:20 a.m.

Mercado then exited the home and was taken into custody.

Mercado has been charged with two counts of felony abduction in the incident.

Due to Mercado’s erratic behavior in a populated area, nearby homes were evacuated as a precaution.