LIVINGSTON — Tuesday afternoon, if you drove by the Livingston Starbucks, you probably noticed the parking lot was flooded with officers. So, what was going on? One local wanted to find out.
“Welp, we were just cruising for lunch, grabbed something to eat, and yeah—I mean, half the police force is just out in Starbucks. You don’t see that a whole lot in town,” says Trae.
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Trae is a long-time Livingston resident. He and a buddy came up to me and asked what was going on with the heavy police presence.
“We knew it was something big. Again, we don’t see many cops in town very often. So, we figured something with either a firearm or robbery. Something along those lines. Obviously raises some concerns in the community,” Trae told me.
And Trae was right. The reason for Starbucks being bombarded with law enforcement? On Monday, the Park County Sheriff's Office was informed that a man with a large warrant out of Yellowstone County was in the Park County area.
“We looked for him a bit last night. Couldn't find him. Ended up running into him this morning here at the Starbucks,” Park County Sheriff Brad Bichler told me.
The man was armed with a handgun, which Sheriff Bichler says led to a barricade situation.
“We were able to get all the staff members and the patrons of the restaurant out safely," says Bichler.
Gallatin County and Yellowstone County special response teams were both en route, but before they arrived, the Park County team was able to communicate with the man and eventually take him into custody without incident.
“Having it resolved peacefully is the ultimate goal. These situations are pretty touchy sometimes. And unfortunately, sometimes we don’t have any choice. But the outcome of this, being able to take him into custody without anyone anybody being injured, is the best possible outcome,” says Sheriff Bichler.
And for Trae, he wants to commend these officers for always being ready, even in a quiet town like Livingston.
“Definitely want to thank all the officers for protecting the community. I’m not sure what the response time was but they’re usually pretty prompt. Bravo to them,” says Trae.
The sheriff did not identify the suspect, who will be held in the Park County Detention Center.
