The arrest capped a series of odd and, at times, irrational interactions between the mayor and Patrick McGean since their first meeting in July. Anderson said he thought McGean, who sometimes refers to himself as "Shadow," was harmless.

The threat came around 11 a.m. when McGean attempted to enter the Utah College of Massage Therapy near 50 S. 300 East to visit one of the employees. A school administrator was allegedly assaulted when he denied McGean's request to enter the school, said police spokesman Dwayne Baird. McGean allegedly struck the administrator once in the upper torso swinging both of his arms together. During the assault, McGean also claimed to have a gun and allegedly threatened to kill Anderson within the next 45 minutes, Baird said.

McGean left the college and police were notified. Several officers were sent to the mayor's office at the Salt Lake City-County Building, where Anderson's staff had locked the office door and were put on alert to report suspicious activity, the mayor said.

Baird said officers have responded to violent episodes involving McGean in the past and quickly worked down a list of known addresses to find him.

"We've dealt with him on previous occasions in the last few months, most of which seemed to be dealing with some mental health issues of his," Baird said.

McGean was discovered in an apartment adjacent to a business near 3600 S. State Street around 1 p.m. A SWAT unit was deployed and State Street was closed between 3300 South and 3900 South in South Salt Lake. Negotiators worked with McGean for about three hours and were able to get him to leave the apartment, Baird said.

But once outside, McGean changed his mind and moved to dash back into the building, Baird said. SWAT members used a flash-bang device to distract McGean while officers rushed to arrest him. He was booked into the Salt Lake County jail on the suspicion of assault and making terroristic threats.

While the level of threat was unexpected, Anderson said he was not completely surprised to hear that police had received a threat from McGean. Anderson said he met McGean about six months ago. The two have interacted by phone, e-mail and in person a few times since. Anderson said he recently received an e-mail from an employee at the Salt Lake City Library who had overheard McGean threatening to wage a war against the mayor.

"There was an obvious mental health issue," Anderson said. "He has made accusations and demands in the past that seemed quite irrational and it seems to have gotten worse."

McGean was ordered to receive a mental health evaluation by 3rd District Court Judge Denise Lindberg in April 2002 following a conviction for attempted aggravated assault, according to court records. The incident took place at McGean's South Jordan home and was domestic violence related.

Court records show McGean was charged four times with violating the protective order filed by his wife. He was convicted of two counts from February 2002. The other two counts, which stemmed from separate incidents in September 2002, were dismissed.

McGean's divorce from his wife was finalized in July 2003. He was sentenced to 70 days in jail and three years of probation for the assault charge.

Anderson said he has never received threats of violence like those issued Monday by McGean.

"My heart goes out to him. Untreated mental illness is one of the great tragedies in our society. I hope that he's able to get good treatment," Anderson said.

mwestley@sltrib.com