Hours-long barricade situation in Murfreesboro ends in arrest

Ethan Illers
·2 min read
1

RUTHERFORD COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) – A man was arrested after an hours-long barricade situation on Sitting Bull Crossing in Murfreesboro, preventing Rutherford County’s Blackman schools from dropping off some students Thursday afternoon.

📧 Have breaking come to you: Subscribe to News 2 email alerts →

Murfreesboro police said officers received a 911 call at around 12:30 p.m. Thursday about a man, identified as 33-year-old Michael Thibodeau, threatening a woman with a gun at a townhouse on Sitting Bull Crossing.

When police arrived, Thibodeau refused to come out and barricaded himself inside the townhouse. Negotiators then arrived to try and get him to come out, but to no avail.

WATCH: Murfreesboro police provide update on barricade situation

Just after 4 p.m., officers breached the townhouse with one of their armored vehicles, causing Thibodeau to run into the garage. He then reached for something on the floor, prompting officers to fire rubber bullets with one hitting him in the leg, according to investigators.

Police said Thibodeau then ran to the second floor of the townhouse where officers deployed two teargas canisters. Thibodeau later surrendered and has since been charged with aggravated domestic assault.

Rutherford County Schools spokesperson James Evans said Blackman schools were unable to drop off students on the following streets due to the situation:

  • Lone Wolf

  • Blue Moon

  • Sitting Bull

  • Shaman Crossing

  • Wolves Den

Man arrested after allegedly pulling out gun during fight at kids’ basketball game in Nashville

Any students who live on those streets and ride the bus home were kept at the schools until parents could pick them up. The middle and high school students were held as well, according to Evans.

The school district stressed the police investigation did not involve any of their campuses.

“Really it was a tense situation. It was a tense situation, it was a dangerous situation, but at the end of the day all our officers will get to go home and be with their families tonight,” said Larry Flowers, the Public Information Officer with the Murfreesboro police department. “”We do understand he is from Pittsburgh, had only been in the Murfreesboro area for about a month. He came here to work; we also understand that he was on some type of medication and had not been taking his medicine.”

📲 Download the News 2 app to stay updated on the go.
📧 Sign up for WKRN email alerts to have breaking news sent to your inbox.
💻 Find today’s top stories on WKRN.com for Nashville, TN and all of Middle Tennessee.

This is a developing story. WKRN News 2 will continue to update this article as new information becomes available.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.