ROLAND (KFSM) — A standoff between police and a driver has come to an end in Roland, just east of the I-40 and US 64 interchange near the McDonald’s and Interstate Inn on Wednesday morning (April 12).
Randy Potter is facing nine charges, and he was taken to the Sequoyah County Jail early Wednesday morning.
Potter was pulled over for an obstructed view around 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday night after a Roland police officer noticed he had several things hanging on his front windshield, said Roland Police Chief Tommy Sessums. When the officer walked up to the car, Potter pulled out a gun and pointed it at the officer’s head.
Potter told the officer that he didn’t want to go back to jail, Sessums said. Potter had two warrants out for his arrest out of Crawford and LeFlore Counties.
Officers retreated to a nearby business, and they talked to Potter for nearly three hours before he gave in and surrendered peacefully.
According to eyewitnesses, both lanes of the highway were shut down for over two hours as police worked to arrest the Potter.
“They [police] got him to the front of the hotel on the other side of McDonald’s, ran him off the road,” said McDonald’s employee Allen Enloe. “They tried walking up on him once and I heard the police yell ‘Get back! Get back! He’s got a gun!’ And after that they made us [employees] go back.”
After Potter was arrested around 1 a.m., his car was towed and all lanes on US 64 were reopened.
“Police called us shortly after they had pulled this car over at the front of the building. They wanted us to evacuate the rooms, but we put our guests into the restrooms so that they’d be away from open windows,” Interstate Inn manager Lisa Dixon said. “We told them not to leave their rooms. Police finally got it wrapped up around 2 a.m. so we’re happy.”
