Complicated barricade situation in Prague. A man wanted to set an entire residential building on fire.

Drama in a residential building

Shortly after Friday noon, police officers received an emergency call about a man who had locked himself in an apartment in one of Prague's residential buildings and threatened to set the building on fire. Patrols were dispatched to the scene immediately; they surrounded the building, secured the perimeter and closed the adjacent streets for safety reasons.

Because of the seriousness of the situation, the operations center called in a special intervention unit and a team of negotiators. Residents of the building and people from nearby businesses were gradually led to safety, while officers instructed the public to leave the area immediately.

Negotiations pushed to the limit of patience

Several hours of negotiations followed, during which specialists tried to persuade the man to leave the apartment voluntarily and to drop his threats.[1] Communication took place by phone and from the building's hallway, while officers continuously assessed whether there was an immediate danger to others.[1][3]

According to the police, the man refused to cooperate and the situation did not significantly progress even after hours of talks, a scenario typical for barricade situations in confined spaces. The intervention unit simultaneously prepared an option for forced entry using special equipment and tactics in order to minimize the risk to themselves and others.

Forced entry and the intervention unit in action

The turning point came only after the incident commander assessed that further waiting could increase the risk and ordered the intervention. Using coercive measures, officers forced entry into the apartment, secured the area within moments and detained the man.

Firefighters also joined the operation, continuously monitoring conditions inside the building because of the fire risk, and the emergency medical service was ready to take the man into care. After the operation ended, the police lifted the street closures and residents were able to gradually return home. A canister of petrol was found inside the apartment. The man had previously committed a similar criminal offence and was known to the police.

What is a barricade situation

The police define a barricade situation as one in which a suspect or dangerous person locks themselves in a building and refuses to leave, often while threatening violence against themselves or others.[4][6] It typically involves completely securing the surroundings, evacuating people within range, and waiting for the intervention unit and negotiators, who try to resolve the incident without using force.

Similar situations have recurred in Prague in recent months – police have, for example, dealt with cases of men who barricaded themselves in apartments with weapons or threatened suicide, and the intervention unit as well as the elite URNA unit intervened on site. These operations usually last hours and cause significant traffic restrictions as well as a strong presence of integrated rescue system units in the streets of the capital.