Suspect arrested, injured, after armed standoff in Taunton sees response by SWAT, local police

TAUNTON — Chief Edward J. Walsh reports that the Taunton Police Department, with the assistance of its local and regional law enforcement partners, arrested a suspect following an armed standoff overnight at a duplex.

At approximately 11:45 p.m. on Wednesday, Taunton Police responded to a home on Pratt Street for a report of an individual armed with a handgun who had shown up outside the home and was making threats to a resident inside who is known to the suspect.

The duplex and homes in the immediate area were evacuated out of an abundance of caution. The City of Taunton also sent out a reverse 911 call to area residents.

The suspect remained outside gesturing with a handgun. Taunton Police established a perimeter, and crisis negotiators responded to the scene to begin de-escalation efforts.

Taunton Police made the decision to activate the Southeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council (SEMLEC) SWAT Team, which brings highly trained police officers to the scene under the local control of Taunton Police.

After several hours of crisis negotiations, the suspect made a gesture with their gun resulting in a SEMLEC SWAT officer firing one shot around 6 a.m. on Thursday, that struck the suspect’s hand, causing the suspect to drop the gun.

The suspect was then taken to a local hospital under police custody to be treated for a hand injury.

The scene was cleared by Taunton Police at approximately 8 a.m. Police recovered the handgun and it was taken into evidence.

This incident remains under active investigation by the Taunton Police Department.