Man arrested after Eagle standoff
An Eagle man is in the Ada County Jail on charges of battery and assault after a standoff at a home on East Lenox Court Tuesday evening. That's near Beacon Light Road and Highway 55.
Just before 5 p.m. Tuesday, Eagle Police and Ada County Sheriff's deputies were called to the home in the 2400 block of East Lennox for a report of a man acting irrationally and threatening to harm himself. Deputies responded and learned a 56-year-old man and his 84-year-old relative were inside the house, said Ada County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Andrea Dearden.
Deputies were able to reach the 84-year-old by phone and encourage him to leave the house. Detectives then learned the man had been involved in a physical altercation with the suspect, identified as Gregory Vietz, 56, who was still inside the house. Police say Vietz battered the 84-year-old, causing minor injuries. Detectives also learned the 56-year-old had fired a gun, shooting 5-8 rounds into walls. Police say Vietz also pointed the gun at the 84-year-old and threatened to harm him.
“With the 84-year-old safely outside of the house, police attempted to talk with Vietz. The 56-year-old stayed inside the home and refused to talk with emergency dispatchers or officers on scene for nearly two hours. The Ada Metro SWAT Team and members of the Ada County Sheriff's Crisis Negotiation Team responded to help end the incident as quickly and safely as possible,” Dearden said,
Negotiators talked with Vietz until the 56-year-old agreed to come out of the house. After he came out of the home, however, police say Vietz refused to cooperate with their commands. A Garden City Police K-9 was used to help apprehend the man.
Officers say Vietz attempted to keep the dog away by hitting and kicking the K9. At about 8:30 p.m., Vietz was taken into custody without further incident.
Vietz was transported to a hospital to be treated for dog bites to his arms.
At about 1 a.m. Wednesday, Vietz was taken to the Ada County Jail where he was booked on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon (a felony), battery (a misdemeanor), discharge of a firearm in city limits (a misdemeanor), resisting/obstructing officers (a misdemeanor) and battering a police animal (a misdemeanor).
Vietz is scheduled to be arraigned on the charges Wednesday afternoon in district court.
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