Wisconsin Man Arrested After Falling Through Ceiling During Standoff With Police

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Authorities in Wisconsin say a standoff ended after a man who had threatened to shoot police climbed into a ceiling, fell through and was arrested.

The Barron County Sheriff's Department said the standoff started Sunday just after 4 p.m. with a 911 call for someone "acting strange and paranoid" in Chetek.

At a home on the 1200 block of West Banks Street, officers found a 35-year-old man who "told law enforcement that he had a gun, would shoot them and that he also had an explosive device in the house," according to the sheriff's department.

After 30 minutes of negotiation, authorities said the man exited the home with a device he claimed was an explosive, and said he would activate it. At that point, homes in the area were evacuated and several law enforcement agencies surrounded the home.

Several hours of negotiations later and after gas was used to try to force the man out, authorities entered the residence and found him crawling into the ceiling. They continued to negotiate with him until he fell through the ceiling.

He was taken into custody around 10 p.m.

Police searched the home and found no explosive devices or weapons.

The man is expected to be charged later this week. WCCO typically does not name arrested parties until they are charged.