An 18-year-old Marine who was apparently worried about going to Iraq held an assault rifle to his head, threatening to pull the trigger in a Loveland cul-de-sac, authorities say.
Two SWAT teams were poised to act if he threatened anyone else but the man only said he wanted to harm himself, Loveland Police Department Sgt. Rae Bontz said.
Police were called to the 3500 block of Granby Court at 5:09 a.m., Bontz said.
The standoff ended shortly before noon, when police detonated multiple “flash-bang” grenades to distract Joshua Christenson, then shot him twice in the back with “sage rounds,” a kind of large rubber bullet, Bontz said. Christianson then was ordered to the ground and police were able to take him into custody within a matter of seconds.
“Our number one concern, of course, was to get people evacuated and to safety,” Bontz said. “And the second concern was to get him into custody as safely as possible. I think we accomplished both of those pretty well today.”
Neighbors said Christianson was scheduled to fly back to Camp Pendleton in California today.
“His unit is scheduled to go to Iraq in mid-September,” said Ronald Moss, a next door neighbor who spoke with Christianson Tuesday while celebrating the 4th of July. Bontz said police did not believe the unit was scheduled for deployment to Iraq.
“To have this happening next door is pretty shocking,” Moss said. “This was totally unexpected.”
The Loveland police used a reverse 911 notification to evacuate seven homes in the neighborhood and to warn several other people to stay in their homes, he said.
Abe Eustice, who lives two doors from the Christiansons, said his wife saw the young Marine standing in the cul-de-sac behind a red mail box speaking on a cellular phone.
Shortly after, police knocked on his back door and evacuated the family, Eustice said.
Negotiators gave him a phone so he could speak with them, he said.
Bontz said he does not know what type of assault rifle the Marine was carrying or even whether it was a military weapon.
Moss said he briefly spoke with Christianson, who was visiting his mother. His brother, who he knows as “JC,” is also in the Marines and is scheduled to go to Iraq sooner, he said.
Christianson told Moss he was home for a leave and would return again in August before his tour in Iraq.
“He seemed normal,” he said. “He always seemed to be on the shy side.”
Moss said the Christiansons are friendly and the children have never been into trouble.
The neighborhood had its annual water balloon fight and barbecue, but Christianson didn’t participate.
Staff writer Kirk Mitchell can be reached at 303-820-1206 or kmitchell@denverpost.com.
Post staff writer John Ingold contributed to this report.
