Fond du Lac County Sheriff's Office
FOND DU LAC, Wis. - A town of Fond du Lac arson investigation led to an hours-long tactical standoff and ended with the suspect in custody on Friday, Aug. 1.
What they're saying:
Authorities were called to a home near Townline and Waterway around 2:45 a.m. The residents said their home security system woke them up and alerted them to motion outside. They watched surveillance footage and saw a suspect "spray an accelerant" on their home and light it on fire.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android
The suspect ran away, and the fire self-extinguished by the time deputies arrived. They quickly identified a suspect who lived nearby and set up a perimeter. Nearby residents were asked to shelter in place, and residents of one home were evacuated.
Deputies attempted to contact the suspect, but the sheriff's office said he refused to cooperate – instead barricading himself in his basement and refusing to surrender. That prompted a response from the Fond du Lac County Sheriff's Office SWAT team, drone team, K-9 teams and crisis negotiators.
Wisconsin's Most Wanted: Lennorise Echols, sought for 2023 shooting
What started as an argument ended with one man dead. U.S. Marshals are looking for a fugitive they say pulled out a gun after he was pushed to the ground.
The standoff lasted seven hours as SWAT members – both inside and around the suspect's home – ordered him to surrender. Authorities also used "less lethal gas and irritant agents" to try to get him out. After opening a "communication port" in the side of the home with an armored vehicle ram, the suspect surrendered shortly after 1 p.m.
The 32-year-old man was taken into custody. The sheriff's office said he'd be booked into the Fond du Lac County Jail for numerous felonies related to the investigation.
No one was injured.
The Source: Information in this story is from the Fond du Lac County Sheriff's Office.