Mesquite Police: Barricaded man shoots at SWAT officers during 12-hour standoff

July 25, 2018 Utah Channel 3

ST. GEORGE — A man is in custody after a half-day standoff with police in Mesquite, Nevada.

Mesquite Police responded to the disturbance call involving a neighbor dispute at a residence on Arrowhead Lane between Bannock Street and 1st South Street at approximately 8 p.m. Wednesday.

“The initial information we received was that we had a male subject that had forced entry – kicked a door in to a neighbor’s home,” Mesquite Police Sgt. Quinn Averett said.

When police arrived, the man who kicked the door in had returned to his own home. When confronted by police, he began threatening to kill officers with a firearm, Averett said .

At that point, responding officers made a perimeter around the home and began evacuating all the homes in the area while a SWAT team was called to the scene.

“After they were set up on the scene the subject began shooting a firearm at the officers,” Averett said, noting that preliminary estimates indicate he fired about 10 rounds.

A bullet impact mark apparent on an armored police vehicle, Mesquite, Nevada, July 26, 2018 | Photo courtesy of Mesquite Police Department, St. George News

Some of the rounds reportedly hit a heavily armored truck on which several bullet impact marks were visible.

“No officers were hit,” Averett said. “We continued negotiating with the subject over the phone for the next 10 hours or so until about 8 a.m., at which point we were able to take him into custody.”

While the suspect was being apprehended, he sustained injuries from a police K-9.

Police have yet to release the man’s identity, and charges are still pending.

“He’ll probably have multiple attempted murder charges,” Averett said.

As of Thursday afternoon, investigators were still on scene going over the crime scene, where they found a handgun and a rifle.

The incident caused the residential neighborhood surrounding the scene to be closed to all traffic and forced residents who were evacuated to find elsewhere to sleep for the night.

Mesquite Police received assistance from the North Las Vegas SWAT.

This report will be updated with information about the suspect’s identity and charges as the story develops.

This report is based on preliminary information provided by law enforcement and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

Email: jwitham@stgnews.com

Twitter: @STGnews