Children safe after being barricaded inside El Paso County home with armed suspect during standoff
Sadie Buggle
EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) – A shelter-in-place for a one-block area in El Paso County was lifted Wednesday afternoon after an armed suspect who had barricaded himself inside a home with two young children surrendered to law enforcement.
The Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) said that on Aug. 23, it began investigating an individual who was armed with a gun and representing himself as a federal agent. The department identified the suspect as 23-year-old Antonio Mellon and obtained a warrant for his arrest.
On Wednesday, Aug. 27, the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office (EPSO) SWAT Team assisted CSPD in attempting to arrest Mellon at a home in the 1300 block of Burnham Street, in unincorporated El Paso County.
However, CSPD said that when officers attempted to speak to Mellon, he barricaded himself in the house with two young children inside and refused to come out. While Mellon was barricaded, police say he pointed a firearm at officers from inside the house several times.
The active scene led EPSO to issue a shelter-in-place order for the 1300 block of Burnham Street at 9:04 a.m.
CSPD said officers and deputies worked to peacefully resolve and de-escalate the situation. KRDO13 crews on scene saw not only CSPD and EPSO at the scene, but also agents in Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) vests.
Mellon eventually surrendered over three hours later at 12:47 p.m. and was taken into custody without incident, CSPD confirmed.
EPSO lifted the shelter-in-place for the one-block area at 1:19 p.m., once the scene was fully cleared.
Police confirmed the children in the home were not injured during the standoff.
Mellon was arrested and taken to the El Paso County Jail. CSPD said he is charged with impersonating a police officer, possessing a firearm as a previous offender, four counts of first-degree assault, and two counts of child abuse.