A York dispatcher is being credited by York Police with subduing a man who was threatening to commit suicide in York Beach Square Saturday.

York Police said dispatcher Nathaniel Higgins received a call at 7:30 p.m. from a despondent man who threatened to shoot himself if officers approached him.

The cell call was traced to a residence at York Beach Square on Main Street.

Higgins continued to talk to the man while police cordoned off the area, shutting down Main Street, also known as Route 1A, for 45 minutes. The man was exhibiting extreme mood swings and erratic behavior, police said. Higgins was able to talk the man into coming out of the residence. Once outside, the man put a knife to his throat and yelled to police to shoot him. The man eventually surrendered the knife and was taken to York Hospital for evaluation.