SWAT team disarms barricaded man with Taser after hours long standoff in Somerset County
BERNARDS TOWNSHIP, NJ (Somerset County) – A SWAT standoff ended after nearly 6 hours in a Somerset County neighborhood Monday, according to Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald.
On Jan. 30, at around 9:45 a.m., Bernards Township police were requested to respond to a residence located on Goltra Drive to assist Bridgeway PESS with an emotionally disturbed resident. McDonald said.
Officers subsequently responded to the residence, which led the adult male resident, whom authorities are not identifying, to barricade himself within a bathroom with a loaded firearm, McDonald said.
A Bernards Township police officer initiated and engaged the barricaded subject in conversation to have him surrender, McDonald said.
Then at around 12:55 p.m., Somerset County SWAT team, along with the crisis negotiators team, were requested to respond to the residence. A crisis negotiator began speaking with the barricaded subject. During negotiations, the barricaded man exited the bathroom on multiple occasions armed with a handgun, McDonald said.
Then at approximately 3:15 p.m. a Somerset County SWAT member deployed a Taser at the armed man when he exited the bathroom, which caused him to drop the weapon, as additional SWAT Officers gained control of him without further incident, McDonald said.
There were no injuries to anyone involved, and the man was turned over to medical personnel for transport to a medical facility for evaluation, McDonald said.
Prosecutor McDonald commended the law enforcement response to this situation. The de-escalation tactics along with subsequent deployment of a less lethal device (Taser) resulted in the successful outcome of this incident.
