Standoff ends when man goes to sleep

A four-hour standoff with a distraught man who barricaded himself in his apartment ended early Wednesday morning after the man fell asleep and the police left, authorities said.

"When a determination was made that he was not a threat to us or anyone else, the question was, 'Why are we here?'" Sheriff Kenny Furlong said.

The man's brother called from Alaska about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, saying he feared his brother would kill himself. He could hear a gun clicking as he spoke to him on the phone, according to police reports.

"Initially, the call was a man with a gun, despondent, possibly intoxicated and with a second party inside his house," said Lt. Ken Sandage.

He said that information prompted the deployment of the SWAT team, which surrounded the apartment at 5867 So. Carson St.

"Our objective was to contain him and not allow him to come outside or harm other people. Safety was paramount to our mission," he said.

Two crisis negotiators from the department spoke with the man for four hours in an attempt to get him to come outside. By 1 a.m., the man said he just wanted to go to bed and left the phone off the hook, Sandage said. It was determined the man was alone in the apartment.

Information from friends revealed the man had two black-powder pistols but no ammunition, he said.

'We had a guy who hasn't committed a crime, and sometimes if you exacerbate the problem, it can be devastating," Sandage said. "So we pulled out."

When contact was made with the man Wednesday morning, he referred to the police as "relentless."

"I just want to be left alone," Sgt. Bob White recalled the man saying.

The standoff cost the department about $1,200 in overtime, Sandage said.

Contact F.T. Norton at ftnorton@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1213.