Gallatin Valley SWAT involved in Bozeman arrest after multi-hour standoff

BOZEMAN, Mont. – Gallatin Valley SWAT forcibly entered a Bozeman residence after a standoff with a man charged with assaulting a woman.

The Bozeman Police Department (BPD) said its officers responded to a reported weapons disturbance to the 2700 block of Turbulence Ln at 7:23 p.m. on Monday. They found a man barricaded in his residence and called the Gallatin County SWAT team for assistance.

BPD Detective Jenkins, whose testimony is recorded in court documents, said a woman close to the suspect said that days earlier he held a gun to her head and said, “I’m going to kill you, and everyone in this house.”

The woman also told police the suspect had been intoxicated and had suffered a PTSD episode that day. She added that the man did not live at the house, but had been staying there for a week or two, hiding from law enforcement while on felony probation.

On the day of the standoff, the woman said, the man had not threatened anyone but had been verbally abusive.

Jenkins said he searched for the suspect in the local law enforcement database and learned that he had an active warrant for his arrest for assault from the Gallatin County District Court. 

Officers at the scene tried to use a PA system to talk with the suspect, Jenkins said, but they received no response. 

Gallatin Valley SWAT later took the suspect into custody using several flash-bands and breaking the windows of the residence, according to court documents.

Jenkins later searched the residence after receiving a warrant from a judge. 

The suspect was arrested for partner family members assault, failure to register as a sexual or violent offender and unlawful possession of firearm. 

“We want to thank the residents in the area whose night was interrupted for their understanding during this incident,” BPD Captain Hal Richardson said. “We would also like to thank outside law enforcement, fire and EMS staff for their professionalism and assistance with this incident.”