Boston police thwarted a potentially deadly confrontation when a suicidal man allegedly to tried to provoke an officer into shooting him Friday afternoon, police said in a statement.

The suspect, who was not identified, approached an officer sitting in a squad car in a parking lot in the South End at around 2:15 p.m.

He asked the officer if he could do him a favor, and when the officer said yes, the man told him, “I want you to shoot me, kill me, I want to die,” according to the statement.

After refusing to show his hands, the man lunged at the officer, punched him, and attempted to tackle him as backup arrived on scene.

The suspect then repeatedly attempted to grab the officer’s gun from its holster, but the officer was able to fend him off, the statement said.

“I can’t praise their handling of this situation enough,” said Boston Police Commissioner William Evans of his department. “Their response to an officer in trouble was quick and decisive, and the restraint shown to a suspect intent and hell-bent on harming himself was nothing short of remarkable.”

The suspect was transported to Boston Medical Center for a psychiatric evaluation. He will be charged with trespassing, assault and battery on a police officer, and attempted larceny.

Originally published in The Boston Globe on May 21, 2016.