Standoff ends after 4 hours

LIBERTY TOWNSHIP — A man was taken into custody and LifeFlighted to an area hospital after more than a four-hour, armed standoff with police here Wednesday evening.

Police have not released the name of the man, but Jeff Deppa said the suspect is his son, 34-year-old Miquell Deppa, who remained in the home at 9203 Spencer Road NW for nearly four hours after police arrived.

Miquell Deppa’s girlfriend called family members Wednesday afternoon and said he was “drinking and taking drugs,” Jeff Deppa said. He added that Miquell Deppa suffers from anxiety issues.

Police were called to the home, which is about 18 miles north and west of Bemidji, just before 5 p.m. Inside, Miquell Deppa was armed with a rifle and at one point warned that if police attempted to enter the home, he would shoot.

A SWAT team entered the home just after 9 p.m., and took Deppa into custody. A LifeFlight helicopter was on the scene and took Deppa to an area hospital, according to officials. His condition was not available.

A portion of state Highway 89 was closed for more than two hours as Beltrami County sheriff’s deputies tried to coax Deppa out of the home. Shortly after moving a SWAT team from their location at the intersection of Spencer Road NW and Highway 89, Chief Deputy Ernie Beitel could be heard talking with Deppa with a bullhorn. Shortly after that, the first shot rang out, and family and members of the media were pushed about a quarter-mile west on Spencer Road.

“He’s popping off with a long rifle. I don’t want anyone getting hit,” a deputy told family.

Beltrami County Sheriff Phil Hodapp said the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension will investigate the standoff. Red Lake Tribal Police, troopers with the Minnesota State Patrol, the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office and the Mississippi Headwaters SWAT Team remained on the scene after 10:30 p.m.

Deppa has several traffic-related violations on his record, including two driving after suspension citations in Beltrami and Dakota counties, in 2007 and 2011, respectively, according to the Minnesota courts system website. Also, in 2006, he was cited by the Department of Natural Resources for operating an ATV on a roadway. Deppa resolved all three cases by paying a fine.