/Massapequa

Cops: Man fired shot into ceiling during standoff

An emotionally disturbed man faces criminal charges after barricading himself inside his Massapequa home and firing a round into the ceiling during a standoff with police Friday morning, police said.

The standoff ended when Karl Bauer, 23, surrendered to police without incident, Det. Michael Bitsko said. Bauer was taken to Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow for evaluation. Police recovered three hunting rifles from the home at 626 Central Ave.

Police received a 911 call from an unknown source shortly after 5:40 a.m. reporting a man inside the home was dealing with emotional issues.

When police responded they negotiated with Bauer, who told them to not come near the house, Bitsko said.

"He didn't threaten police, but he did talk to us on the phone and he would hang up and then we would talk to him again," said Bitsko, who was part of the negotiation team.

Bauer was alone in the house, police said. The house is owned by a family trust and his mother also lives there, Bitsko said.

The man came out of the house about 10:30 a.m. without incident, police said. He was taken by ambulance to NUMC, where police interviewed him. He was charged with second-degree reckless endangerment.

NUMC declined to comment because of the ongoing investigation, hospital spokeswoman Shelley Lotenberg said.

Two nearby schools, the Ames campus of Massapequa High School and Lockhart Elementary School, were placed on lockdown during the incident, according to a note posted on the district's Web site. The schools reopened after the incident.

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