Police ended a 26-hour standoff Wednesday in Pagosa Springs by forcibly entering a vehicle and taking a man into custody.
Mark Trail, 59, of Archuleta County, was arrested on suspicion of felony assault and pointing a gun at a police officer, said Detective Scott Maxwell, with the Pagosa Police Department.
The standoff began shortly before 9 a.m. Tuesday and came to an end at 11:10 a.m. Wednesday, said Detective Scott Maxwell, with the Pagosa Police Department.
All public schools in Archuleta County were canceled Wednesday as a result of the standoff between Trail and law enforcement.
Trail was scheduled to be in court Tuesday morning, Maxwell said. He is suspected of animal cruelty for shooting a horse, he added.
Not exactly sure what he wanted or what his motive was in doing this other than hes just angry about a lot of different things, Maxwell said.
It didnt look like he was going to surrender or exit the vehicle, he added. He expressed repeatedly that he was going to end his life, so the decision was made to go ahead and get him out of the vehicle.
Archuleta schools were placed on lockout Tuesday, meaning no one could enter or leave the schools. Police escorted students to buses and parent pick-up locations at the end of the school day
It was the first day of school in Archuleta County.
The stand off began Tuesday morning when the Pagosa Police Department stopped the van on Hot Springs Boulevard.
As the police officer approached the vehicle, a man inside the van began yelling at the cop and pointed a handgun at the officer, Maxwell said.
The officer ran back to his vehicle and called for backup. Police have had the vehicle surrounded ever since, he said.
Several businesses were told to lock their doors. The Pagosa Springs Post Office and the Bank of the San Juans were evacuated.
