Police arrest man in Sparta standoff

Officers: Phil Smith threatened to kill himself, others

SPARTA, Wis. (WKBT) — Sparta police responded to calls Friday night of a drunken man who claimed he was going to kill himself and others.

According to a statement, Sparta Police Department, Monroe County Sheriff’s Department, the Tomah SWAT team and state patrol responded to the scene at the home of Phil Smith, 33, on the 1900 block of River Road in Sparta. Smith was allegedly intoxicated and threatening to kill himself and others. He refused to cooperate with police during the standoff, so officers use a smoke grenade and flash devices in the home.

“We started out with trying to communicate with him – that did not work,” said Officer Marc Nelson with the Sparta Police Department. “When someone has armed himself inside a residence like that, [the next step] is to use chemical munitions to get them out of the residence to take them into custody.”

Officers ultimately shot Smith with a bean bag gun and took him into custody for disorderly conduct, intentionally pointing a firearm at another person, operating a firearm while intoxicated, resisting arrest and failure to comply with officers.

 No one was injured.