An armed man described as distraught and suicidal held police at bay for much of Monday in a Troy neighborhood.

Detective Sgt. James Newcombe confirmed that a 911 call at 10:40 a.m. led to the police standoff on Wood Thrush Street. The man, whom he would not identify, was believed to be barricaded in his home with a firearm. Newcombe said the man is believed to be alone.

At first police tried to negotiate with him, but when negotiations broke down, Troy police called in the Illinois Law Enforcement Alarm System, a cooperation of law enforcement agencies for tactical response.

Streets were blocked off by police at least one or two blocks away, with tactical officers seen in readiness. Residents were evacuated for a few blocks, though Newcombe said a local community center was being readied as a warm place for the neighbors to wait.

As of 9:45 p.m., the man was still barricaded in his house and the streets were still blocked off. Police confirmed that an FBI negotiator had been brought in to help coax the man out of the house.

Troy schools had a half-day on Monday, and the school district routed buses for the Wood Thrush-Redbird area away from home to other locations for parents to pick them up, Newcombe said.

While several neighbors said the man was seen walking up and down the street with a gun earlier in the day, vowing to "go out with a bang," Newcombe said the 911 call only reported that the man was suicidal and they had not received 911 calls about a man walking around with a gun. He would not say who made the initial 911 call.

As the evening wore on, a man stopped his car near the police barricade and shouted obscenities at the police, urging them to "do your (expletive) job" and "get this guy." He drove away before police could react.

Officers from Madison County Sheriff's Department and Illinois State Police were also at the scene to assist the Troy Police Department. Also on the scene were the Clinton County and Montgomery County sheriff's departments, Millstadt and St. Jacob police and American Red Cross disaster services to assist the displaced residents.

Contact reporter Elizabeth Donald at edonald@bnd.com or 239-2507.