NORTH PLATTE, Neb.-A North Platte man is in custody following a standoff on Saturday morning.
The following is a statement for the North Platte Police Department.
Members of the North Platte Police Department were called to the 2400 block of East E St. several times in the past 12 hours. The North Platte 911 Center received several reports of disturbances at that location throughout the night.
At approximately 4:11 AM, police officers responded to 2405 East E St. on the report that the resident was throwing things at the neighbor’s house. The resident of 2405 East E St., Wesley Hawkins, was the suspect in the other disturbance reports that were received throughout the night. He went inside when officers arrived, likely because he was aware of an active misdemeanor Lincoln County warrant for his arrest on a stalking charge.
During the police response at 4:11 AM, Wesley Hawkins came outside of his home and yelled at the officers. Wesley also fired multiple shots from a small caliber handgun in the direction of the responding officers. A safe perimeter was established and the suspect retreated into his home. Mr. Hawkins came out periodically to yell at officers at the scene and continued to fire several shots from firearms. Approximately 20 shots were heard by officers at the scene.
Assistance was requested from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and the Nebraska State Patrol. Members of the NSP SWAT team were activated and responded to the scene. Attempts to get Mr. Hawkins to voluntarily exit his home were unsuccessful. A search warrant was obtained and the tactical team used an armored vehicle to deploy a chemical agent into the home. At 9:38 AM, Wesley Hawkins was taken into custody. Mr. Hawkins was taken to the Lincoln County Detention Center after being arrested for attempted 1st degree assault on a police officer, use of a weapon during the commission of a felony, and terroristic threats.
Neither the suspect nor officers were injured during the incident. This incident had a positive outcome due to the resources made available by a cooperative, multi-agency response.