Neighbor dispute over dog leads to hours-long standoff in Mt. Clemens; suspect fired at deputies several times
MT. CLEMENS, Mich. (FOX 2) - A Mt. Clemens man brandished a gun when his neighbor tried to talk to him about his dog, leading to an hours-long standoff Monday, authorities said.
The Macomb County Sheriff's Office responded to a home on Clinton Street, near Gratiot Avenue and Market Street, around 11:55 a.m. on reports of a man with a gun. Deputies said when a neighbor attempted to speak with the man, he brandished a gun and threatened to shoot her. The victim provided the man's name and description when she called 911.
Sheriff Anthony Wickersham said the man was known to authorities, and deputies had been called to the home in the past.
When deputies got to the scene, they saw the 64-year-old man enter a condominium. He then came outside and fired at deputies before going back inside, authorities said.
"There is always that unknown risk when you are going to a call of what’s going to happen? A simple barking dog complaint or neighbor complaint can turn into a shots fired type call, which happened in this situation," Wickersham said.
Deputies closed the road and set up a perimeter.
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He came out again around 12:35 p.m. and fired at deputies with a rifle, authorities said. No one was hit, but a bullet struck an unoccupied patrol car. A deputy returned fire and believed he hit the man, who went back inside.
That deputy was removed from the scene and was not injured. They have been placed on administrative leave.
"Everybody's on a heighten alert because he didn’t have a problem shooting at the police two times, so he could do it again," Wickersham said.
The Crisis Negotiator Team and SWAT team attempted to communicate with the man, who told them via phone that he had been hit. Negotiators tried to persuade the man to come out for medical treatment.
According to deputies, he said he would come out. However, he broke a window, went out on the balcony, and started shooting at deputies again.
Deputies were able to get six residents out of other units as they tried to get the man to come out. Once the other residents were out of the building, the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Unit entered with drones, and the SWAT team used a tactical robot.
The man was on a couch, authorities said, so SWAT team members went inside and took him into custody just before 7 p.m.
Read: Mt. Clemens barricaded gunman in custody
Wickersham said the man had what appeared to be a gunshot wound on his right arm, so he is getting treatment at a hospital. His dog was located in his vehicle parked outside the home. The dog was turned over to Macomb County Animal Control for care.
No other injuries were reported.