Man arrested after standoff in Whitefish

The Daily Inter Lake

A Whitefish man was arrested Friday morning after a short armed standoff with police outside an O'Brien Avenue residence.

Wolfgang Daniel, 28, was taken into custody on a city warrant for failing to appear on DUI charges and possession of dangerous drugs.

Authorities are reviewing the possibility of filing charges in connection with the standoff, according to the Whitefish Police Department.

Officers responded to a disturbance at the O'Brien Avenue home at 10:20 a.m. Friday after Daniel reportedly called a relative threatening to kill his girlfriend and harm himself.

When police arrived, Daniel's girlfriend left the residence and was escorted from the scene while Daniel remained on the phone with a relative.

Detectives eventually made phone contact with Daniel, who agreed to come out unarmed.

Upon spotting the presence of law enforcement, however, Daniel ran back into the house and retrieved a pistol.

Contact was re-established and a negotiator convinced Daniel, still threatening to harm himself, to exit the home. He came out with the pistol in his hand, unloaded it, and surrendered to police.

The Flathead County Sheriff's Office and officers with the Northwest Montana Drug Task Force also responded.