Motel standoff ends peacefully

After a five-hour standoff, Kalispell Police talked a reportedly suicidal man at a local motel into surrendering to authorities around 7 p.m. Friday.

According to Chief Roger Nasset, the incident started at approximately 1:38 p.m. when a 911 call was received from a mental health professional relaying that she had just been contacted by a man who stated he was having “homicidal” thoughts. The 29-year-old Kalispell resident was reported to be in a room at Motel 6 with a loaded gun and he stated that “if police showed up there would be a shootout.”

Officers arrived on the scene shortly after the call and quickly evacuated multiple hotel rooms and cordoned off the immediate area. Nasset said an officer made phone contact with the suspect who stated he was armed with a weapon and that he had no reason to live.

Kalispell police negotiators began speaking with the male and the Kalispell Special Response Team was called out. The team’s armored vehicle was used to get close enough to the room to provide safety for the public and police.

After several hours of negotiations in which the suspect vowed to not surrender or be taken alive and multiple threats towards law enforcement the suspect was talked into surrendering at 7:01 p.m. He voluntarily left his room and was taken into custody with no injuries to him or the officers. A pistol and ammunition were recovered from the suspect’s room.

The man at the center of the incident is being held for a mental health evaluation and there are no criminal charges at this point; therefore his name is being withheld.

“I am very proud of the professionalism of all of our officers and staff, which has a direct correlation to another positive outcome in a situation that had potential to be very bad,” Nasset said.

“Throughout this incident, business for Motel 6 and Casa Mexico were greatly affected,” the chief added. “However, both were very helpful, and cooperative to law enforcement and understanding of the situation.”