Barricaded Woman With Pellet Gun Taken To Hospital After Police Standoff

HAVERHILL (CBS) – There was a peaceful end to a police standoff in Haverhill late Thursday night.

Heavily armed officers and a SWAT team surrounded an apartment building on Highland Avenue and shut down the street and several other nearby roads for several hours because a woman was barricaded inside an apartment.

The woman, who was not identified, was taken out of the home into police custody and then to the hospital.

The incident began shortly before 9 p.m., when Haverhill officers responded to Highland Avenue for a reported domestic disturbance and a well-being check.

Blood found in the hallway led officers to an apartment, where, after getting no response at the door, police made entry into the apartment.

While in the apartment, the woman brandished what appeared to be a handgun, later determined to be a pellet gun, and pointed it at officers. She then barricaded herself inside the apartment, and tactical units and negotiators were called in.

After some negotiation, a tactical team of officers was able to enter the apartment after the woman suffered what appeared to be serious self-inflicted injuries.

She was taken into custody without incident and sent to a local hospital for treatment.

Police said the incident remains "an active investigation into pending criminal charges."

The large police presence shut down Highland Avenue and several other streets for hours, as a state police helicopter swirled overhead.

Haverhill Police used Facebook to keep residents updated. Around midnight they posted that the situation had been "resolved peaceably."

Some neighbors said they were shaken by the hectic ordeal.

"You never really think that stuff would hit home, and then it hits home, and you're, like, 'Oh God, now my neighborhood isn't even safe anymore,'" said neighbor Frank Salerno.