60-Year-Old arrested following drunken disturbance/standoff in Idaho Falls parking lot
Seth Ratliff
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — A 60-year-old Idaho Falls man was arrested Sunday evening after a drunken disturbance in the parking lot of Boozers/Shari’s off Broadway in Idaho Falls escalated into a brief police standoff.
Police say a man, identified through court records as Danny Oswalt, 60, was allegedly seen blocking a trucker in a truck with his car, refusing to let the trucker leave, and appeared to be trying to start a fight.
The incident took place around 7:00 PM. The Idaho Falls Police said in a Facebook post that Oswalt tried to flee and drove a short distance through the parking lot as their officers arrived on scene. The officers boxed Oswalt in with patrol vehicles and attempted to instruct him to exit the vehicle.
Police say Oswalt refused to leave the vehicle, and after speaking with the man over the phone, it was clear the 60-year-old was intoxicated and should not be driving.
Eventually, police say Oswalt suddenly got out of his car, saying he was going to make the officers shoot him. According to the post, he refused to follow commands and began digging in his pockets. IFPD says an officer used a less-lethal tool: a 40 mm launcher that fires a blue, ping-pong-sized foam projectile, which officers refer to as a “Smurf round.”
The officer fired three rounds, striking Oswalt all three times. The projectiles incapacitated him long enough for officers to safely and quickly approach and detain him. A further search of his vehicle uncovered multiple open containers of alcohol.
Oswalt was transported to a local hospital for medical clearance before being booked into the Bonneville County Jail. He faces charges of False Imprisonment, DUI, Eluding, Possession of an Open Container, and Resisting and Obstructing.