MARION, OH (MARION COUNTY NOW)—What began as an attempt to serve an active arrest warrant at a Marion residence Monday morning developed into a nearly 10-hour standoff involving multiple law enforcement agencies before officers took the suspect into custody early Tuesday.
Marion police officers went to a residence in the 700 block of Silver Street on October 5 to serve the warrant. When officers made contact at the home, they identified the person wanted on the warrant and entered the residence.
Inside, officers encountered a man seated in a chair with a firearm pointed at his own head.
Officers immediately withdrew and began coordinating a response to what had become an armed, barricaded-subject situation.
The Marion Police Department’s Special Response Team and Hostage Negotiation Team were activated as officers worked to bring the incident to a safe conclusion. During the standoff, the suspect made multiple threats to harm himself and threatened to kill law enforcement officers who approached the residence.
As the situation continued, additional resources were brought in to assist. The Ohio State Highway Patrol Special Response Team responded to support the Marion Combined Special Response Team, while the Crawford County Special Response Team arrived near the conclusion of the incident to provide additional personnel and resources.
Throughout the standoff, hostage negotiators repeatedly attempted to establish communication and persuade the suspect to surrender peacefully.
Eventually, the suspect stopped responding to negotiators and continued making threats toward officers.
Members of the Special Response Team then deployed chemical agents into the residence and created additional openings in the structure, including breaking windows and doors and venting portions of the home. According to police, the tactics were intended to locate and safely remove the suspect, who remained uncooperative and continued to pose a threat to himself, the public and law enforcement.
The standoff continued into Tuesday morning.
Shortly after 9:30 a.m. October 6, officers encountered the suspect near a doorway of the residence. Officers deployed less-lethal options, including bean-bag rounds and pepper-ball projectiles.
During that confrontation, police said the suspect fired multiple shots at law enforcement officers.
No lethal weapons were fired by law enforcement officers during the incident, according to the Marion Police Department.
Officers continued efforts to locate and apprehend the suspect inside the residence. After an extensive search, officers again engaged him with multiple less-lethal rounds.
Those tactics ultimately allowed officers to take the suspect into custody without further incident.
Police identified the suspect as Harold L. White, 64, of Marion. White is being held on charges that include two counts of attempted murder, failure to appear on an active warrant, resisting arrest and additional firearm-related charges.
Formal charges will be presented to the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office, and the investigation remains ongoing. Police said additional charges may be presented as the case is reviewed by prosecutors.
Marion Police Chief Jay McDonald credited the agencies involved with helping bring the prolonged confrontation to an end without serious injuries.
“I want to thank all the assisting agencies for their help in bringing this ten-hour standoff to a peaceful conclusion. Our officers utilized every technique to help end this peacefully and we are grateful that no serious injuries were reported by any citizen, officer or suspect,” McDonald said.
The Marion Police Department also recognized the members of the Marion Combined Special Response Team, Marion Hostage Negotiation Team, Ohio State Highway Patrol Special Response Team and Crawford County Special Response Team for their assistance and professionalism throughout what police described as an extended and dangerous incident.