Police in Beltrami County have arrested eight people after a standoff ended with a SWAT team firing tear gas into a home near Bemidji.
The incident began when a distraught woman called police about 3:40 a.m. Thursday, saying she needed help, according to Chief Deputy Ernie Beitel of the Beltrami County Sheriff's Office.
Sheriff's deputies from Beltrami and Cass counties, along with Minnesota State Patrol and Leech Lake Tribal Police officers, were dispatched to the scene in Ten Lakes Township, about 14 miles southeast of Bemidji.
Once there, officers learned that several suspects had barricaded themselves in the house and possibly were armed, prompting authorities to call in the Headwaters SWAT team.
Negotiations resulted in several people leaving the house voluntarily. About 7 a.m., police fired tear gas into the home and the rest of the people came out. No shots were fired other than the tear gas, Beitel said.
Two suspects, who police believe were the only armed members of the group, fled the house before police arrived. They were captured and arrested Friday afternoon, said Beltrami County Sheriff Phil Hodapp.
JOHN REINAN
