COLUMBUS, Ind. — A 50-year-old man was arrested Thursday afternoon after a two-hour long standoff with police in a downtown Columbus neighborhood.
Around 3:45 p.m. on March 3, Columbus Police Department officers were dispatched to a home in the 700 block of California Street for a wellness check of a person allegedly making threats.
At the house, officers spoke with a man, later identified as Michael E. Downs, who told them he was armed and made threats toward the officers, CPD said.
The officers backed away from the house, blocking nearby streets and requesting additional officers. SWAT and crisis negotiations responded to the scene, and officers attempted to get Downs to come out of the house. Downs refused to exit, and SWAT officers deployed tear gas into the home.
Downs surrendered and was placed under arrest around 5:50 p.m. He was transported to an area hospital to be checked out and was later moved to the Bartholomew County Jail on a preliminary charge of felony intimidation.
