South St. Paul standoff ends after suspect arrested

SOUTH ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - An hours-long standoff in South St. Paul ended after authorities arrested a suspect on Sunday evening.

The South St. Paul Police Department said officers were dispatched around 3:30 p.m. to an apartment building on the 200 block of Marie Avenue for a reported disturbance involving someone threatening another with a firearm. 

At the scene, officers entered the building and found a 62-year-old man with a rifle in the hallway who police said "refused to follow commands" and went into an apartment unit.

Authorities tried to negotiate with the man for hours, and additional units responded to help evacuate nearby apartments.

After lengthy negotiations, the South Metro SWAT team arrived at the scene. At around 10 p.m., police said the SWAT team used a chemical irritant in the apartment, causing the suspect to leave the unit, and he was taken into custody.

Police said the suspect, a 62-year-old man from South St. Paul, was injured during the arrest but did not provide further details. He was then transported to the Dakota County Jail. 

"We are proud of the professionalism and restraint displayed by our responding officers today in what can best be described as an incredibly tense encounter with an armed offender," police said in a statement. 

Authorities did not say whether anyone else was in the apartment at the time of the standoff or who was initially being threatened with a firearm.