DOVER, N.H. (WHDH) — A man who New Hampshire police said stole a rifle Friday morning and barricaded himself inside an apartment building has been arrested following an hourslong standoff with a heavily-armed SWAT team.
Police responded around 5 a.m. to the Whittier Falls Apartments on Pleasant View Circle after learning that the rifle-wielding suspect had broken into a a vacant apartment building, officials said.
Police said officers used “flash bang” grenades and tear gas in an effort to force the suspect out of the residence.
“It was just one big bang. And there was a bunch of popping noises,” one resident said.
Homes in the area of Mineral Park Drive and Pleasant View Circle were evacuated for safety reasons as negotiations spent all morning trying to coax Richard Nelson out of the building.
Nelson surrendered to police around 12 p.m. and was taken into custody, seven hours into the standoff. Nelson is being held behind bars pending an arraignment Monday morning.
Crews are working to clean up the mess caused by the destructive standoff.
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