A 40-year-old man who barricaded himself in a room at the Brookside Motel when Durango police officers attempted to serve him with a warrant was arrested at 12:39 p.m. Tuesday after a SWAT team used a chemical agent to subdue him.
La Plata County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team members and police officers entered the room after hours of negotiations with Matthew Edward Martinez failed to persuade him to turn himself in, according to a news release issued by Durango Police Department Cmdr. Ray Shupe.
Martinez, who was not armed, was not injured and is being held in the La Plata County Jail without bail.
He was booked on a felony warrant for parole violation and a felony warrant for criminal impersonation and credit card fraud. He was also arrested in connection with resisting arrest, criminal mischief and refusal to leave a premises upon request by a police officer.
The incident began about 8 a.m. when DPD was given a tip that Martinez was in a room at the Brookside Motel. When officers attempted to make contact, Martinez barricaded himself in the room and made threats – vowing to “shoot it out with police.”
Durango police evacuated residents from adjacent rooms. A robot with a camera and a microphone was used to communicate with Martinez and to gain an image of the inside of the room.
After hours of negotiations, officers and members of the SWAT team gained entry using a chemical agent that Shupe declined to identify because it would disclose sensitive operational procedures.
Shupe said Martinez has a lengthy criminal history and a history of making threats against law enforcement officers.
DPD issued its thanks to Brookside residents for their cooperation during the incident and to the assistance of the Sheriff’s Office SWAT team.
parmijo@durangoherald.com
