Standoff in Ithaca briefly closes city street

Tense moments in Ithaca on Tuesday afternoon led to a resident of the city being taken into custody following what witnesses described as a confrontation involving a gun.The Ithaca Police Department reports that around 4:11 pm units responded to a call of a man with a gun in the area of the 100 block on West State Street. When officers arrived, witnesses told them that a man threatened another man with a gun and then fled on foot. Officers were told that the man fled into a building, which held multiple apartments. For the safety and security of the citizens in the area, the 100 and 200 blocks of West State Street were taped off, as traffic was diverted around the scene. Officers investigated the scene, locating the suspect – which resulted in taking the man into custody.The suspect was identified as Nicholas J. Monaco, 38, of Ithaca – and he was charged with menacing in the second degree, as well as criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree. He is being held in the Ithaca Police lock-up, pending arraignment in Ithaca City Court.Traffic was reopened to the area shortly after the man was taken into custody.