An armored vehicle belonging to the Omaha Police Department assisted in the arrest of a Blair man early Wednesday after a standoff at his home.
A man in his 30s was arrested at 2:15 a.m. after members of the Washington County SWAT team entered the home near 20th and Jackson Streets in northwest Blair. The man faces several felony charges, according to a spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office.
The incident began Tuesday at 8 p.m. when a deputy tried to stop a vehicle. The driver refused to pull over and a pursuit began on gravel roads with speeds reaching 85 mph.
The deputy ended the chase due to its dangerous nature. Two more pursuits of the vehicle also ended because of the danger posed to the public. At one point, the fleeing vehicle crossed the center line on U.S. Highway 75 and forced another vehicle to leave the roadway to avoid a head-on collision, the spokesperson said.
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Deputies were able to identify the vehicle and found it parked outside the owner’s home just southeast of the Blair hospital. When the man was contacted at his home, he refused to come out and a standoff began.
At one point, deputies saw the man carrying a rifle inside the house. Deputies applied for and received a search warrant to arrest the suspect.
After the man refused commands to come out of the home, the SWAT team was activated and an armored vehicle from Omaha arrived. Chemicals were launched into the home. Members of the SWAT team entered the house and the man was taken into custody.
Medical personnel from the Blair Fire Department checked the man for injuries before he was booked into the Washington County Jail.
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