Izegem (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – On February 23, 2025 morning in Izegem’s Grote Markt, emergency services, including police spokesman Carl Vyncke, spent 3 hours negotiating with a mentally distressed man on a rooftop. He came down safely and was hospitalized. The public prosecutor is involved.
On Sunday, February 23, 2025, at around 9 a.m., emergency services responded to the Grote Markt in Izegem. A man was found on the roof of a building. He was struggling with mental health issues and had been evicted from his apartment the night before due to safety concerns. In the morning, he broke back into the apartment and climbed onto the roof, which led to a lengthy standoff with emergency responders.
After that, there was a long standoff between the man and emergency services. Bystanders said he acted aggressively and broke a lot of glass inside the apartment. Police and firefighters tried to bring him down safely but he resisted and seemed to want a fight. They managed to take control and safely get the man off the roof.
“This morning he broke in again,” confirms spokesman Carl Vyncke of the RIHO police zone. Afterwards, he went to stand on the roof.”
Why did a man with mental health issues spark a rooftop standoff in Izegem?
The rescue team, police, and firefighters worked for hours to help a man in trouble. The rescue teams talked to him for almost 3 hours to convince him to come down safely. They focused on keeping him safe and also making sure everyone around was safe. The authorities took their time and made careful choices to solve the problem without force. After a long talk, the man decided to come down by himself.
Vyncke says:
After almost 3 hours of talking to him, the man came down. He was taken to the hospital and may face compulsory admission, but nothing has been decided on that yet. The public prosecutor has been notified.
After the man was safely on the ground, he was taken to the hospital for a check-up. Officials mentioned that there is a chance he might need mental health care, but a final decision has not been made yet.
The public prosecutor’s office has been informed and will help decide what to do next. The Grote Markt, which was closed for safety, reopened to the public around noon, returning things to normal. They mentioned that the quick response from the emergency teams helped ensure that everyone was safe.
