Page 12 - Flathead Beacon // 1.7.15

12 | JANUARY 7, 2015 NEWS FLATHEADBEACON.COM Standoff Ends Peacefully in Kalispell
Area around Motel 6 in Kalispell was closed off as police negoti- ated with armed man
By JUSTIN FRANZ of the Beacon
A five-hour standoff between a 29-year-old Ka- lispell man and police ended without incident on the evening of Jan. 2.
At 1:38 p.m., the Kalispell Police Department re- ceived a report from a mental health professional stat- ing 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 enforce- ment that “if police showed up there would be a shoot- out.”
The Kalispell Police Department arrived soon after and closed off the immediate area and evacuated mul- tiple rooms of the hotel. Then police negotiators began speaking with the man. Over the course of the next sev- eral 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 ar- mored 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 am- munition were found in the suspect’s room.
The man is being held for a mental health evalua- tion and there were no criminal charges as of Jan. 5.
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A five-hour standoff between a 29-year-old Kalispell man and police at Motel 6 in Kalispell ended without incident. JUSTIN FRANZ | FLATHEAD BEACON
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