COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) - The Latest on a man arrested near a Colorado air force base (all times local):
4:20 p.m.
Colorado authorities say a man arrested after barricading himself in a vehicle and trying to enter a nearby Air Force base was suffering a “mental health crisis.”
El Paso County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Jacqueline Kirby says no explosives were found inside the van, which had propane tanks strapped to its roof. She says the man won’t face charges but will be offered treatment for his illness.
His name and age were not released.
Police were called to the area just north of Peterson Air Force Base on Tuesday afternoon, where the man had barricaded himself inside the van.
A spokeswoman for the Air Force base declined comment on the man’s attempts to enter the base, referring questions to local law enforcement.
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3:45 p.m.
Colorado authorities say a man arrested after barricading himself in a vehicle tried to enter a nearby Air Force base but was turned away.
El Paso County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Jacqueline Kirby says police are still investigating whether any explosives were inside the van, which had propane tanks attached to the roof.
The area in eastern Colorado Springs where a SWAT team arrested the man on Tuesday afternoon is less than half a mile north of Peterson Air Force Base’s north gate.
A spokeswoman for the base declined to comment on the man’s activities and referred questions to local law enforcement.
Staff at a nearby school called the sheriff’s office after the man parked in the school’s lot.
The man’s name and age were not immediately released.
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2:59 p.m.
Authorities in Colorado have detained a person following reports that someone barricaded in a vehicle may have been armed with explosives.
The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office says a SWAT team and a regional unit focused on explosives responded to the area in eastern Colorado Springs on Tuesday afternoon.
Authorities shut down a road as officers responded to the area.
The area is less than half a mile north of Peterson Air Force Base’s north gate.
Air Force Staff Sgt. Erica Picariello says the base closed its north gate to outbound traffic to reduce congestion in the area. She says Peterson also sent a bomb squad at the request of Colorado Springs Police.
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