DOVER, Del. - An 18-year-old woman is receiving treatment at an area hospital following a police chase and barricade that caused major traffic delays on Monday afternoon.
According to the Dover Police Department, officers responded to a domestic incident on Vera Way around 3:15 p.m. where a woman with a knife was reported to be threatening another person. When officers confronted her, she got in a car and drove around the Delaware State University campus on McKee and College roads. She stopped after being followed by officers, who again tried to take her into custody.
During their attempt, the 18-year-old woman pulled out a large knife, police say, before backing up and hitting a patrol car. She drove away again onto southbound North Dupont Highway before coming to a stop another time near the Dover Motor Speedway. Police say the pursuit lasted around 10 minutes.
According to police, the woman expressed intent to harm herself with the knife when they approached her window. An ambulance was requested and both north and southbound lanes of the highway were closed in the area. The woman refused to exit the vehicle for around an hour and a half while members of the Dover Police Department's Crisis Negotiations Team spoke with her.
She eventually got out of the car and was transported to an area hospital for evaluation. Police say no one was injured during these events.
"It's incidents like this that remind us that we never know what someone is going through and mental health affects everyone," a police statement said.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness can be reached at 800-950-6264 and the Mental Health Association in Delaware can be reached at 302-654-6833.