MECHANIC FALLS, Maine — A 21-year-old local man was stunned with a Taser and taken into custody after a 90-minute standoff late Sunday into early Monday.
The man, who wasn’t identified by authorities, was armed and threatened to harm a woman at his Pleasant Street home when he was subdued by officers, Mechanic Falls police Chief Jeff Goss said.
Officers went to the scene on Pleasant Street, which is Route 121, after 10:34 p.m. Sunday when someone called police and hung up, Goss said.
Family members met officers when they arrived and said the man was inside, armed and drunk.
Shortly before the incident ended, the man came outside. He had a handgun in his hand and appeared intoxicated, Goss said.
“He came outside and was uncooperative with police,” Goss said. “He said he was going to kill his girlfriend if she didn’t get off the porch.”
When the man briefly took his eyes off police, one officer used his Taser and the standoff was soon over.
The 21-year-old was taken to St. Mary’s Hospital in Lewiston for a psychological evaluation, Goss said. The chief expected charges to be filed after the evaluation.
Pleasant Street was closed from North Main Street to North Street during the incident, which ended at 12:10 a.m. Monday, the chief said.
Officers from the Maine State Police, Oxford Police Department and Androscoggin Sheriff’s Department joined Mechanic Falls officers during the standoff.
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Great job guys! And to all you who complain about the tazers this is why they carry them.
Interesting that police were able to subdue an armed and drunk man making verbal death threats using a taser but that same tactic never seemed to be a thought in the “justified” police shootings (killings) of men who were armed with nothing more then a knife.
That being said this man is lucky he wasn’t killed by an officer
I totally agree with you Hiram. “Justified” covers a lot of ground, I guess.
Good job to the police officers!
a non-lethal outcome to a potentially catastrophic situation.
kudos to the police for not shooting him with a gun but dam i bet that tazer hurt bet he will think twice before pulling this stupid stunt again hope they take his guns cuz next time he might use it and kill the innocent girl friend
Glad this incident turned out well. The outcome could have been tragic. Job well done.
great job by the police