Armed man arrested after Meridian police fire AR-15 rifle round at him
A Meridian man was arrested early Tuesday morning after allegedly threatening three skateboarders in a parking lot at The Village at Meridian.
At about 12:30 a.m., the Meridian Police Department responded to a report that the suspect had pointed a handgun at the three people in a lot along North Records Way, which runs between the east side of The Village and Kleiner Park, according to a news release.
Police said they set up a perimeter on arrival and heard from the victims, who said the man confronted them. The release said they eventually located the suspect near Blaze Pizza, which is on the other side of The Village, along Eagle Road. Officers attempted to get the man to comply with orders but he did not, and one officer fired a round from an AR-15 rifle.
The shot did not hit the suspect, but the man then complied and was taken into custody on suspicion of three counts of felony assault with a deadly weapon and booked into the Ada County Jail. Police said the 44-year-old had a 9 mm handgun with a round in the chamber.
Because a police officer fired at the suspect, a Critical Incident Task Force investigation will take place, with the Ada County Sheriff’s Office the lead agency.
