Saint John police took a man into custody Thursday after responding to a call of a person in distress.

Officers were dispatched to the 100-block of Elliott Row around 4 p.m. on Thursday.

In a news release late Thursday, police said it was reported the person had a knife.

“Police arrived on scene and a 29-year-old man armed with a machete presented himself at the threshold to an exterior door of a building on Elliott Row,” said the release.

Officers negotiated with the man for nearly an hour before he stepped onto the sidewalk with the machete.

Police said officers deployed a taser “due to the safety of the public and police” and the man was taken into custody.

The individual suffered what police described as a minor injury and was taken to the hospital for examination.