A man “covered in blood” barricaded himself in a restaurant in Saarbrücken, West Germany on Sunday.
The Telegraph quoted local reports saying the man, who was initially reported to have a gun, had entered the restaurant and shut himself in.
Staff left Dubrovnik restaurant, which was reportedly closed at the time, in panic after the man walked in and screamed “everybody out!”, the German newspaper Bild said.
Police sealed off the area in the city near the French border, the paper said, and had a large presence on the street.
Eyewitnesses said the man was “covered in blood”.
He was not thought to have taken any hostages.
A group of police officers and psychologists tried to communicate with the man, Huffington Post Germany reported.
A German press agency said he was not thought to have a political motive.
Bild later reported he had been found in the basement of the restaurant, and had “superficial injuries” and no weapon, contrary to what had initially been reported.
The man is now in hospital.