Crazy Gunman Waves Pistol At High-Rise Window Cleaners In NYC

Police bring suspect into the 13th Precinct after incident where a gunman barricaded himself in an apartment.

NYPD Arrests Elderly 'Hoarder' Who Threatened Window-Washer With Gun In Flatiron District: A dispute led an elderly man to allegedly brandish a gun at a window-washer working outside his Flatiron District apartment this afternoon, a police source told The Huffington Post. The window-washer called 911 after climbing down the scaffolding and a small army of police officers arrived on the scene moments later. The cops then asked the assailant to come outside the apartment but he refused.

A standoff ensued for an hour and a half, during which time the NYPD shut down E. 22nd Street between Park Avenue and Broadway, and warned residents in nearby buildings to stay inside and keep away from windows. Snipers were posted on rooftops. Emergency units eventually broke down the man's door and arrested him without incident. Police have not yet released the man's name.

The New York Post reports that he was 69-years-old and was a "hoarder" who hadn't left his apartment for 30 years.  An employee at neighboring Polaris Nail and Spa was scared and told reporters that the elderly tenant "looked crazy" and was "shaking" when she saw him being led out of the building in handcuffs. The man was taken by police to Bellevue Hospital after the incident for an evaluation. There were no reported injuries.

 Officers congratulate each other after successfully apprehending a crazed gunman on East 22nd Street in New York City.

Cops shut down streets in the Flatiron District Wednesday after a "crazy" man waved a pistol at two window washers from his apartment, cops and witnesses said. Kenneth Clarfield, 69, pointed a gun at the workers through the window of his 11th-floor home on E. 22nd St. near Broadway just before 1 p.m., sources said. One of the two panicked workers, who were dangling from scaffolding at the time, called 911, sources said. Cops arrived moments later, but Clarfield refused to open his door - causing a flood of officers to blockade nearby streets. "They told us to shut the door and stay inside," said a worker at Polaris Finest Nail Spa on the same block. "Everybody was scared."

Clarfield, known as a hoarder who has lived alone in the home for about 30 years, surrendered about 3:35 p.m., sources said. He was taken to Bellevue Hospital. "He looked crazy," the worker said. Neighbor Daryl Glenn, 45, said Clarfield is usually spotted on the block. "He sits on the fire hydrant next to our building just resting, never doing anything," Glenn said. "It's a little odd. He'd just sit and stare into space."

Police secure the scene near the Flatiron Building amid reports of a gunman barricaded in an apartment Wednesday afternoon.