A Conewago Township man was arrested Tuesday evening after he pointed a rifle at a neighbor's home and passing cars before he barricaded himself inside his house in the 900 block of East Butter Road, according to Northern York County Regional Police.
Brian Lee Harrell, 54, was arrested after a seven-hour standoff, said Chief Mark Bentzel.
Officers received a call about 10 a.m. from a concerned resident who saw Harrell standing in his front lawn with a long rifle that had an attached scope, police said.
The neighbor said he saw Harrell standing in the road with a rifle over his shoulder and a large hunting knife on his hip, according to charging documents.
Harrell walked around his property with the gun and sat down in a chair in his garage, documents state.
When officers arrived on scene, Harrell tried to hide behind a tree, and when police tried to talk to him, he ran inside and refused to come out, according to documents.
The Quick Response Team from York County, as well as Lancaster and Dauphin counties, came to the home, Cpl. Blake Gladfelter said. Police also used a reverse 911 system to call residents near the home to ask them to stay inside because of an emergency.
Bentzel said officers evacuated residents from some of the homes along Butter Road, but it was too dangerous to move others.
"With the kind of weapon he had, we couldn't risk driving by the home and having someone get hurt," Bentzel said. Residents who could not leave were put in a "shelter" in their homes to stay safe.
On scene, York County QRT tried to use "chemical agents" to try to get Harrell to come out, Bentzel said, but it didn't work.
The QRT then used "audible negotiations" during the last hour of the standoff and eventually threw a phone through a bay window to talk to him, Bentzel said. While investigators were on the phone with Harrell, members of the QRT entered the home at 5:30 p.m.
Harrell was arrested after a brief struggle, Bentzel said. No one was hurt and no gun shots were ever fired, he added.
Three loaded rifles, a loaded shotgun and a loaded handgun were located in the home, police said later Tuesday
night.
Several windows on the second floor of the split-level home were broken Tuesday evening. Siding also was pulled from the home and laid in the driveway, while grass and dirty covered the road.
The damage was a result of the standoff efforts of the QRT, Bentzel said.
He added it wasn't the first time his department had dealt with Harrell.
Harrell was in York County Prison Jan. 16 to Feb. 13 for failing to pay fines related to a November retail theft charge, according to court documents.
Bentzel was not familiar enough with the theft to comment Tuesday.
Nearby roads were closed during the incident, including Susquehanna Trail at Cloverleaf Road.
Steve Woodburn, 48, of Newberry Township wanted to get to a job fair at Baltimore School of Massage, which is nearby the standoff, but was turned away.
A spokesperson at the school declined to comment Tuesday.
Harrell was charged with terroristic threats and recklessly endangering another person. He was in York County Prison Tuesday night in lieu of $100,000 bail.
Copyright 2012 - York Daily Record, Pa.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
