Youth threatens family; surrenders 8 hours later

An eight-hour standoff Sunday morning ended peacefully when a 16-year-old male who had barricaded himself with a .410 shotgun in his bedroom surrendered to police.

Authorities had been dispatched to the home on S. Fifth East Street, just a few blocks from the law center, at 1:46 a.m., when they had received a report of a teenager who had threatened to kill members of his family (who were not identified).

His parents had managed to flee the home but a female juvenile member of the family was still in the house when authorities arrived.

Mountain Home police activated their Special Response Team and called in the Idaho State Police Entry Team, who soon entered and effected the safe withdrawal of the female from the home.

An ISP officer and Det. Mike Barclay of the Elmore County Sheriff's Office, which also responded, confronted the youth in a hallway of the home, where he pointed his shotgun at them and threatened to shoot them. The youth then withdrew into his bedroom, however, and authorities established a perimeter inside the house and a command center at the American Legion Hall.

"Once we were able to evacuate (the female juvenile) from the house, time was on our side at that point," said Sgt. Rick Viola. "We could wait him out.

"Eventually, he came to his senses," after several hours of negotiating teams talking to him, and surrendered to authorities at about 9:30 a.m. At no time did he threaten to kill himself, Viola said.

The youth was taken to the Canyon County Juvenile Detention Center where he was being held. He was arraigned Monday in Elmore County on three counts of aggravated assault.

Viola described the youth as "troubled" and "rebellious," with "a lot of issues" and said the family had been working to get help for their son.

"Sometimes, you have to hit rock bottom before things turn around," Viola said. "We're hoping he'll get the help he needs to get his life straightened out."