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An hours-long standoff with an armed man in Watertown Township, Minnesota, ended without gunfire after Carver County deputies used PepperBall projectiles as part of their effort to bring the incident to a safe conclusion.
According to court records, deputies were called to the area of Highway 25 on August 13 after receiving reports that 36-year-old Montgomery Franklin Jamieson Sr. was pointing a pellet rifle at passing vehicles and had fired at two cars near his residence.
A responding corporal, who recognized Jamieson from previous calls, located him carrying a scoped rifle and ordered him to put it down. Instead, Jamieson raised the rifle and pointed it toward the corporal before retreating inside the residence.
What followed was an hours-long effort to resolve the situation without forcing a close-range confrontation.
Deputies maintained phone contact with Jamieson as he moved between the house and garage. Court records state that he alternated between talking with deputies and making threats, at one point telling a deputy he intended to kill him. Deputies also reported seeing Jamieson aim the rifle in their direction.
With an armed subject barricaded inside and deputies facing repeated threats, officers needed another way to encourage surrender while maintaining distance.
Deputies deployed PepperBall projectiles into the residence.
Jamieson subsequently opened the garage door. He physically resisted deputies as they moved to take him into custody, but officers were able to arrest him without further incident and without anyone being shot.
Incidents involving armed, barricaded subjects can leave officers with few good options. Closing distance can increase the risk to everyone involved, while allowing a dangerous situation to continue carries risks of its own.
In Watertown Township, PepperBall gave deputies an additional option between continued negotiation and a potentially deadly confrontation. Officers were able to apply pressure from outside the residence, maintain distance from the armed subject and ultimately bring the standoff to an end without gunfire.
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