Update (April 8):
STRONG, Ark. (KTVE) – The man at the center of a two-hour standoff with sheriff’s deputies last week now faces multiple charges.
Thomas Black, 43, was arrested on April 3 after police say he threatened his family with a gun and barricaded himself in his home.
SWAT team members had to force their way into the home, where they found Black passed out on the floor.
He has been charged with Aggravated Assault, Illegal Possession of a Firearm, Possession of Methamphetamine, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.
Original story (April 3):
STRONG, Ark. – A man who barricaded himself inside a home has been taken into custody by the Union County Sheriff’s Office (UCSO).
Around 2 p.m. Wednesday, deputies responded to an aggravated assault call at a mobile home in Strong.
The UCSO says Thomas Black, who lived there, was threatening family members with a shotgun.
The first deputy on the scene reported seeing Black waving the gun before he called for backup. The suspect then went inside the home and refused to come out.
Deputies blocked off roads in the area to ensure civilians were safe if action had to be taken. Sheriff Rick Roberts spoke to Black for an hour on the phone and tried to get him to surrender.
Family members and friends were given the chance to speak to Black through a megaphone but he still refused to come out.
A SWAT team then surrounded the area around the trailer and about 4:45 p.m., deputies used a ram and flash bangs to get into the home, where they found Black passed out on the floor passed out. They arrested him and took him into custody.
“We could not ask for any better outcome,” said Chief Deputy Charlie Phillips said. “He was safe. We were safe. We recovered the firearm that he was brandishing and we’re all going home safe.”
Black had been carrying a 12-gauge shotgun.
