Armed standoff near Bemidji ends without injury
The six-hour standoff between Beltrami County Sheriff's deputies and one armed man was resolved without injury late Tuesday night.
Just before 5 p.m. a 911 call came in from a residence on Archery Road, roughly three miles west of Bemidji.
The caller said 56-year-old homeowner Douglas Richard Westrum, was distraught, extremely intoxicated and armed with a 9mm pistol.
Shots had been fired during a struggle and several of Westrum's family members were still in the house.
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The sheriff's department rushed to the scene, along with Bemidji police and state and federal law enforcement officers. They issued a "shelter-in-place" order for the surrounding areas, telling people to stay in their homes until the issue was resolved.
Officers approached the house on foot and were able to guide two remaining family members safely from Westrum's house.
Over the next several hours officers tried to negotiate with Westrum, but talks broke down when he became incoherent. Finally, a SWAT team was able to sneak into the house and arrest Westrum.
He's now in Beltrami County Jail awaiting charges. Though shots were fired, no one was injured during the standoff.