LA CROSSE, Wis. (WXOW) – A man is taken into custody after a four-hour standoff with police on Saturday evening.
According to the La Crosse Police Department, officers were called to the 400 block of South 10th Street to find 49-year-old Jason Rankin barricaded underneath a crawl space in the basement.
Police tried to speak with Rankin who said he was stuck inside the crawl space and could not find a way out. Officers continued to speak with Rankin and tried to help him out, Rankin refused and crawled further into the crawl space.
According to a press release, Rankin became agitated and refused to come out. He then threatened to kill the responding officers multiple times.
After a few hours, police say a limited chemical agent was deployed and a K-9 Unit was used to try and remove Rankin. After a few more hours of negotiations, another limited chemical agent was deployed. Rankin again refused to exit and armed himself with a metal pipe. Officials say the agent was deployed two more times in an attempt to remove Rankin.
After four hours, Rankin crawled towards the opening, where officers assisted him out of the crawl space and placed him under arrest.
Rankin was then identified as an individual who had entered another property on 400 South 11th Street without permission earlier that day. When the resident of this address confronted Rankin he ran into the South 10th Street address, where the standoff then began.
Rankin is facing charges of Disorderly Conduct, Criminal Trespassing, Resisting Arrest, Harassment of a Police or Fire Animal, Failure to Comply with Officers and Bail Jumping.
Rankin is currently in the La Crosse County Jail.
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