ROSEVILLE, Minn. - A police standoff tied up police in Roseville for seven hours before ending with the arrest of a 23-year-old man.
It began just before 2:45 p.m. Monday on the 300 block of County Road C2. A friend of the suspect called police to report that he had posted a message on Facebook earlier in the day stating he attempted to kill himself.
Officers arrived to investigate and check the welfare of the man and found the home locked. They made contact with the suspect's mother who gave officers permission to make entry into her home through the garage service door.
Once inside, police opened the suspect's bedroom door and found him sitting, holding a pistol in his lap. Officers backed out of the home and requested the assistance of negotiators and East Metro SWAT.
Nearby residents were asked to hunker down inside their homes during the seven hour standoff. Negotiators made occasional telephone and text messaging contacts with the suspect but he refused to surrender to authorities.
At 8:20 p.m. tear gas cannisters were shot into the home. Just over an hour later the 23-year old suspect was taken into police custody as he attempted to flee. He was suffering from tear gas inhalation, and the decision was made to transport the suspect to Regions Hospital for evaluation.
Roseville Police are continuing to investigate this incident and will be searching the home Tuesday for additional evidence and weapons.
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