A five-hour standoff between a 29-year-old Kalispell man and police ended without incident Friday evening.
At 1:38 p.m. on Jan. 2, the Kalispell Police Department received a report from a mental health professional stating that an armed man who was having “homicidal” thoughts at the Motel 6 had contacted her. The man told the mental health professional and law enforcement that “if police showed up there would be a shootout.”
The Kalispell Police Department arrived soon after and closed off the immediate area and evacuated multiple rooms of the hotel. Then police negotiators began speaking with the man. Over the course of the next several hours the man made numerous threats to police and said that he would not surrender or be taken alive. Meanwhile, the Kalispell SWAT team arrived in an armored vehicle so that officers could safely approach the scene.
At 7:01 p.m., the man voluntarily left his room and was taken into custody without injury. A pistol and ammunition were found in the suspect’s room.
The man is being held for a mental health evaluation and there are no criminal charges at this time.