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Police Say Man Threatened Them With Xbox Controller In Rehoboth Standoff

REHOBOTH (CBS) – Police said a man who engaged them in a four-hour standoff at a Cumberland Farms store and gas station Thursday morning was armed not with a gun, but with a video game controller.

The man was initially believed to have a gun in his waistband, but after an arrest safely ended the standoff in Rehoboth shortly before noon, it was found to be an Xbox controller.

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Police say Kimball threatened them with this video game controller.(Photo credit: Rehoboth Police)

Officers were called to the Cumberland Farms at the intersection of Routes 44 and 118 around 7 a.m. after the man allegedly threatened the clerk there.

The man, later identified as 38-year-old Benjamin Kimball, went back outside to his SUV, which was parked at the gas pumps, and locked himself inside.

"He ran toward his vehicle and told the officer he had to back offl, that he had a gun and a bomb and he was going to blow the place up," Rehoboth Police Chief Jim Trombetta said. "Two other officers arrived on scene and he pulled the gas hose off of one of the pumps."

Benjamin Kimball
Benjamin Kimball. (Facebook Image)

The clerk shut down the gas pumps and the store.

"The gas pumps were turned off, and all employees and customers were safely evacuated from the store and remain unharmed," Cumberland Farms said in a statement Thursday afternoon.

Police arrived in force with heavy equipment, surrounded the vehicle and shut down the intersection.

The standoff lasted until around 11:30 a.m., when a loud bang was heard in the area and officers moved in.

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Rehoboth Police surrounded Kimball at the Cumberland Farms on Route 44. (Image credit: Rehoboth Police Department)

Trombetta later told reporters that Kimball was bitten by a police dog and shot with a bean bag gun. At one point during the standoff, Kimball tried to light a gas pump on fire, according to Trombetta.

After he was captured, Kimball was taken to the hospital for evaluation. Police later searched his SUV, which was filled with personal items.

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Police surrounded the SUV at the Cumberland Farms in Rehoboth Thursday. (WBZ-TV)

The owners of a nearby breakfast restaurant told WBZ-TV the standoff forced them to shut down during their rush hour Thursday.

"It's scary, we go to Cumberland Farms every day," said one of the owners. "I'm glad I wasn't there this morning."

The store reopened around 2:30 p.m. Thursday.

"We are so grateful for the help of the local police forces and all authorities who rushed to ensure the safety of our employees and the community," read the company's statement.

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