New Bedford Police take man with 2 assault rifles into custody after several-hour standoff
NEW BEDFORD — New Bedford police have taken a man with two unlicensed assault rifles, high-capacity magazines, and over 900 rounds of ammunition peacefully into custody following a several-hour standoff Thursday.
North-end patrol units were conducting an investigation that led them to 635 County St., number 3, on Thursday, Feb. 2, according to a press release. They arrived at this location in order to take Anthony Medeiros, 48, into custody.
Medeiros had two active warrants for his arrest and the officers also had information concerning his illegal possession of firearms.
Medeiros initially spoke with the responding officers through a closed door, but then stopped communicating altogether.
The officers then pulled back from the residence and remained in the perimeter outside. Given the information they had, the decision was made to activate a response from the South Eastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council special reaction team.
After several hours, Medeiros exited the apartment peacefully and was taken into custody. Police said a search of the apartment revealed that Medeiros had been in possession of two unsecured assault rifles, high-capacity magazines, and over 900 rounds of ammunition without license. He is being charged with a variety of serious offenses.
Chief Paul Oliveira said, “Given the fact that this man possessed the level of firepower and ammunition that he did, I’m very grateful that this situation didn’t escalate into something far worse. The potential for a deadly encounter was there. I appreciate the professionalism that all of the responding officers displayed in their tactics and demeanor as they de-escalated this volatile incident.”
This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: New Bedford Police standoff with heavily armed man ends peacefully
