A Kalispell man has been taken to the hospital for a mental evaluation after engaging in a nearly three-hour long standoff with police Monday morning.
According to a press release from the Kalispell Police Department, no one was injured in the incident although most of the east side neighborhoods were closed off for much of the morning.
At approximately 4:15 a.m. Monday, police received a report of a heavily armed suicidal man at a home near the intersection of Third Avenue and Second Street East. The man also reportedly had made threats against police officers responding to the residence.
Police formed a perimeter around the home and shut down vehicle and pedestrian traffic in the area before trying to make contact with the man. After various attempts to connect with the man failed, the Kalispell Special Response SWAT team was activated.
Shortly before 7 a.m. the man answered his phone and began speaking with negotiators, but still refused to come out of the house. After talking with police for more than two and a half hours, the man agreed to come out of the house at 9:35 a.m. He was taken into custody and will be evaluated at a local hospital.
Classes at the nearby Linderman School were postponed as the situation unfolded. According to School District 5 officials, some students and teachers were in the building when the police cordoned off the streets and they remained inside until the situation was resolved.
According to the Kalispell Police Department it appears there will be no criminal charges against the man who was taken into custody.