PEA RIDGE, Ark. — The Pea Ridge Police Department (PRPD) responded to a disturbance on John W Montgomery Circle on Saturday, Sept. 14.
According to the release, at around 7:54 p.m., police were informed that a man was heard screaming and "holding a metal object" and possibly smashing things inside the home where a female's voice could be heard.
When police arrived at the scene, the man was standing outside the home armed with a 9mm handgun but never pointed it at police, the release said. PRPD said some of their officers recognized the man who they said have had "previous encounters" with. The release states officials were also aware that the man suffered from a mental illness.
The release states the suspect screamed at the officer and then ran behind the house. A gunshot was heard coming from behind the residence, followed by the man's continued screams. Shortly after, two more gunshots were heard but the man's screaming stopped.
Officials went after the man, but there were "several outbuildings" behind the home, so they were not able to immediately find him, according to the release. This prompted police to evacuate neighbors in the area to a safe location. Officials had tried to contact the man by phone to de-escalate the situation but were not successful.
Additional police departments responded to the scene to assist along with off-duty officers. Police drones, special defense shields, special response tactics and crisis negotiations were all deployed to the scene as well. After a thorough search, authorities were able to locate the man lying on the ground near a shed, holding the gun to his head.
The PRPD crisis negotiations worked for about 30 minutes with the man before he surrendered without harm. Officials took the gun from him and took him to a local hospital for psychological evaluation. Neighbors were able to go back home at around 10:30 p.m., according to police.
No one was injured during the incident.
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