Geas, who has five yours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan under his belt, was taken to a veterans hospital.
June 14, 2011 - West Springfield - Staff photo by Michael S. Gordon - Thomas Geas, 42, leaves his house at 22 West St. with two unidentified men after a stand off with West Springfield Police Tuesday morning. Police reported that they received phone calls about Geas' unusual behavior includinig walking up the street to Collins Tavern, destroying their flag poles and taking three flags.
WEST SPRINGFIELD – Police closed a section of West Street for a time late Tuesday morning after a 42-year-old resident, a U.S, Marine veteran with five tours of duty in Afghanistan and Iraq under his belt, began acting erratically in and near his home.
Police Chief Thomas Burke said the incident began when the man, identified as 42-year-old Thomas Geas, took an ax or sledge hammer and destroyed two air conditioners at the multi-family home where he lives at 22 West St.
Nobody was hurt in the approximately-hour long incident that brought a large-scale police response to the neighborhood and prompted the temporary lock-down of the nearby Mittineague Elementary School.
Burke said that Geas voluntarily left his home into the custody of his father and personnel from the Veterans Center.
“He’s a pretty good kid and he’s having some problems ,” said Burke, still wearing a bullet-proof vest shortly after the incident. “We were able to get him out of the house without anybody getting hurt and we will take him up to the veteran’s hospital where he can get the treatment that he needs.”
Burke said that Geas is brother to Fotios “Freddy“ Geas, 44, of West Springfield; and Ty Geas, 39, of Westfield, recently convicted by a New York federal jury of charges pertaining to the public execution of Springfield crime boss Adolfo “Big Al” Bruno in the parking lot of an Italian social club in late 2003.
Burke said that after Geas allegedly damaged the air conditioners he knocked down a flag pole at nearby Collins Tavern and took a U.S. flag and two military flags back to his home on the second floor.
Burke stressed there was no stand-off of any kind, armed or otherwise, and that Geas left his home when he was prompted by somebody on a bullhorn. Geas, who was not handcuffed, was escorted to a waiting ambulance.
“Right now we are just glad that we got him out of there without an armed stand-off,” said Burke, adding that charges may be pending against Geas.
Burke said two legally-owned firearms were confiscated from Geas’s apartment after the incident.