Downtown Pagosa Springs Still On Lock Out
Pagosa Springs High School closed Wednesday due to downtown incident.
As of Wednesday morning, the standoff between law enforcement and an armed man in a van is still keeping businesses and schools closed in downtown Pagosa Springs.
Parents of school children received a call at 6:00AM on Wednesday morning stating that the incident was still not resolved and that school was cancelled. School children were on lock down yesterday due to the situation, which began Tuesday morning.
On Tuesday evening, Detective Scott Maxwell of the Pagosa Police Department stated, “We’re still attempting to achieve a peaceful resolution. We’re still hoping to talk him out.”
On Tuesday, September 4th at 8:30 a.m., a police officer initiated a traffic stop on Hot Springs Boulevard in downtown Pagosa near the Community Center. The Pagosa Springs Police Department received a report that the man was driving wildly downtown. According to the Police Department, when the officer approached the vehicle, the driver began yelling at the officer and brandished a handgun and pointed it at the officer.
After calling for backup, officers set up a perimeter around the minivan. Hot Springs Boulevard was closed, and two businesses in the immediate vicinity – the Pagosa Springs Post Office and the Bank of the San Juans – were evacuated.
A crisis negotiator was called about 9 a.m. and talked to the man throughout the day, Maxwell said.
The man’s identity was not released, but Maxwell confirmed he is a resident of Archuleta County.
According to the Colorado State Patrol, which assisted with the standoff, a man in a van had a gun and possibly was suicidal.
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