Man arrested after armed standoff in Polson
A Montana Highway Patrol vehicle is seen with its lights on in this file photo. (Brenda Ahearn/Daily Inter Lake)
Police arrested a man Wednesday night following an armed standoff and hostage situation at the Bellevue Trailer Court along U.S. 93 in Polson.
Lake County dispatchers received a call at approximately 6:30 p.m. from a woman who said she was being held against her will by a man at one of the park's trailers, the Polson Police Department said in a press release. The woman told dispatchers her alleged captor was armed and had fired several rounds inside the trailer.
Dispatchers also received reports from other Bellevue residents of shots being fired.
Officers established a perimeter around the trailer and attempted to talk with Edward Hardy, 63, inside the trailer as they began evacuating nearby residences.
Officers could hear Hardy barricading the doors and windows. Police managed to speak with the two people inside the trailer by phone and negotiated the release of the woman, who was subsequently examined by medical personnel. Hardy then began setting debris on fire and throwing it out the window of the trailer.
The Northwest Montana Regional SWAT Team and Kalispell Special Response Team responded to assist with the situation. The Lake County Sheriff's Office, the Montana Highway Patrol and the Flathead Tribal Police also responded.
Just as the SWAT team was about to make contact, Hardy crawled through a window and tried to escape by getting into his vehicle. Hardy was taken into custody after an officer used a Taser to immobilize him.
A search of Hardy's residence revealed firearms, a cache of ammo and numerous other weapons strategically placed throughout the trailer, according to the police press release. Hardy was arrested and booked into the Lake County Jail for criminal endangerment, aggravated assault with a weapon, resisting arrest and obstructing a peace officer or public servant.
Authorities reported no one was seriously injured in the incident, and there is no ongoing threat to the public.
"This was the best-case scenario as nobody was seriously hurt during this incident and the hostage was released," Polson police Chief Wade Nash said. "This was still a psychologically tragic event, but could have been far worse if it was not for the cooperation of the residents in Bellevue and the joint effort by every public safety team involved."