Watertown police use beanbag gun to subdue armed man

WATERTOWN, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - Watertown police say they used a beanbag gun to subdue an armed man at the downtown fire station.

Watertown Radio reports early Tuesday morning, police received a call about a man armed with a pistol who had entered the downtown fire station.

Police say when officers arrived they saw a man walk out of the fire station’s lobby threatening to harm himself. At that point, the police gave the armed man commands to drop the weapon so they could help him with what he was going through. The man did not respond to the commands.

An officer responded by firing two rounds of a beanbag shotgun. The officer was able to subdue the man, and immediately after, officers took him into custody.

Anyone experiencing mental health issues can call 800-273-8255 to receive support.