When Summit Hill police officer Todd R. Woodward pursued an armed, suicidal man into his house at around 4 a.m. Wednesday, he realized he had to make a life-or-death decision.

Frederick C. Evans Jr. had holed up in his garage.

"There were cameras on the overhang of the porch and throughout the home," Woodward recalls. "I was concerned because I didn't know if he was sitting there watching us. The home is set up like a labyrinth inside, and I was not going to put my officers at risk."

Woodward called the Pennsylvania State Police Special Emergency Response Team, or SERT.

SERT members are trained negotiators for high-risk situations, and are equipped with tactical gear and equipment, said state police Communications Director Cpl. Adam N. Reed.

At around 8:30 a.m., the team set off a concussion grenade near the front of the garage.

As team members, and later, Evans' parents, tried unsuccessfully to persuade him to come out so they could help him, two more concussion grenades were set off.

At around 11 a.m., police fired tear gas into the garage from at least three different directions.

After about 10 minutes, members of the SERT team wearing gas masks went in and brought out Evans.

He was taken by ambulance to a hospital, where he was involuntarily committed to a mental health unit.

Woodward said the commitment is for 72 hours. At that point, Evans would be evaluated and either released or held for treatment.

Charges of fleeing and evading are pending once Evans is released.

About SERT

SERT, founded in 1986, is divided into two regional teams, east and west. Statewide, there are 70 members assigned to SERT. Of these, 20 are negotiators, Reed said.

The team operates under the state police Bureau of Emergency and Special Operations, based at the academy in Hershey.

"The majority of SERT members do other assignments," he said.

"Our SERT team is highly trained. We call on them in high-risk situations. They are a great resource for our department," Reed said.

"They have specially trained negotiators. Any time there is a situation, such as a barricaded gunman, they are able to resolve it peacefully," he said.

Each situation is unique

Wednesday's situation took about seven hours to resolve.

"Each case is going to be a little bit different," Reed said. "They look at each situation, and determine how they can most effectively reach out to that person. Sometimes, that could involve getting close friends or family involved."

Some people respond best to the negotiator. But if the person is high on drugs, for example, opening that line of communication is more difficult, he said.

Training is intense

SERT negotiators go through intensive training, learning psychological theory, intervention techniques and communication skills.

"Tactical SERT members go through a 25-day basic training course before being able to operate with the team," Reed said.

"Additionally, team members train monthly for four consecutive days. This training is ongoing," he said.

Negotiators undergo an initial 10-day training process. They train monthly for two consecutive days after their basic training, he said.

"Negotiators have debriefings, and SERT members have Member Assistance Program units - a peer resource to deal with and cope with the different stresses of our job," Reed said.

Last year, "SERT responded to 126 incidents, including barricades, high-risk warrants, and security details," Reed said.

The Summit Hill incident

Wednesday's situation began to unfold at 3:40 a.m., when Woodward received a call from Evans' former girlfriend, who said he was suicidal and holding a gun to his chin.

Woodward went to talk with the woman. As they spoke, a vehicle drove around him, the officer said.

"His girlfriend said, 'that's him.' I chased him six blocks to his house. I told him to stop and lie down. He refused to obey, yelled an obscenity, and went on into the home," Woodward said.

The situation was reminiscent of another early-morning standoff in December 2012.

Then, Evans had threatened to blow up his home after opening valves to propane tanks outside his East Richards Street property.

Police evacuated the surrounding blocks.

Evans was eventually taken into custody and charged with risking a catastrophe and disorderly conduct. He pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct, and the risking catastrophe charge was withdrawn.