A man, initially thought to be armed with explosives, was taken into custody after barricading himself inside a vehicle north of the Peterson Air Force Base in eastern Colorado Springs, police said Tuesday afternoon.
But the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office will not be filing charges after discovering that no explosives were inside the car and the individual was experiencing a mental health crisis, spokeswoman Jacqueline Kirby said.
SWAT team and regional bomb disposal crews responded to the area near Peterson Road and Colorado 24 around 2 p.m. after someone tipped authorities off about the car, which was parked close to a Super 8 motel, Kirby said. The motel was evacuated.
EPSO SWAT and Regional EOD responding to barricaded suspect in a vehicle possibly armed with explosives. Please stay away from the area. Peterson Road is shut down from 24 to Galley. Media staging will be at the corner of Galley and Peterson in the dirt parking lot.
— EPCSheriff (@EPCSheriff)
The man left the vehicle without incident.
Peterson Road was shut down between Colorado 24 and Galley Road to the north. It reopened shortly before 3:30 p.m.
