Wanted man arrested after standoff in Cortez

Man pepper-sprayed, stunned

A man who was being served an arrest warrant by Montezuma County sheriff’s deputies barricaded himself in a room of his grandmother’s home, triggering a 45-minute standoff at the Lakeside trailer park east of Cortez.

After negotiations broke down, deputies shot a form of pepper spray into the room to persuade him to come out. Because of threats of violence from the suspect, nearby homes were evacuated, the sheriff’s office said.

“He was extremely uncooperative, and had to be tased,” said Travis Anderson, administrative staff sergeant for the sheriff’s office.

Deputies wearing gas masks were seen entering the home to make the arrest. Except for some visible scrapes, no one appeared to be seriously injured.

“He had a couple of warrants, and they spotted him, no big deal,” said a relative of the man.

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