Four "persons of interest" in a shooting were taken into custody after a standoff that lasted more than two hours in West Baltimore.

Police said an unidentified man was shot three times about 1:30 p.m. in the 500 block of Sanford Place and collapsed around the corner in the 500 block of Cumberland St. He was taken to Maryland Shock Trauma Center with wounds to his arm, back and midsection, according to Anthony Guglielmi, the Police Department's chief spokesman.

Officers received word through "community intelligence" that suspects were less than a mile southwest, inside a home in the 1300 block of N. Mount St., and the department's SWAT team responded.

For more than two hours, what appeared to be two or three officers stood a few homes down as a tactical vehicle and other officers moved up and down the block. At least three hostage negotiators were observed arriving at the scene. Local schools were locked down, and several blocks were closed off.

"Pick up the telephone or come to the window," an officer said over a loudspeaker. "Don't make it worse than it already is."

About 4:30 p.m., police said, four men were taken into custody. No additional details about the shooting or the barricade situation were immediately available.

Neighbors in the block where the shooting took place said they heard three gunshots in what they said is a quiet neighborhood with older homeowners. The area is just south of West North Avenue.