BY ANTHONY GUERRERO
A standoff near the Fort Hays State University campus lasted nearly four hours Wednesday night after a man barricaded himself inside a home on Eighth Street. Refusing to cooperate with police, several roadblocks went up to prevent vehicles in the area from driving into the scene.
FHSU sent out a message warning students of the ongoing police operation outside the campus. One student, however, was caught in the middle of the operation.
PJ Stauffer lives near where the police operation was taking place.
“I was trying to walk home, nobody is letting us pass and they’re kind of yelling at everyone telling them they have a situation,” Stauffer said while gathered with a few onlookers on the corner of Eighth and Elm.
“We’re all just listening to the police scanner,” he said, describing seeing officers and armored police vehicles in the area.
Stauffer and other residents of the neighborhood attempted to re-enter their properties but were turned away by officers at the scene.
Onlookers described hearing a negotiator speaking through a megaphone along with the barricaded suspect, who could be heard arguing with police.
On Thursday, the Hays Police Department released more information about the situation.
According to the report, first-responders at the scene saw a male and two females with blood on them exiting the residence. The male, identified as 33-year-old Brenon L. Johnson, then bunkered down inside the apartment.
Johnson was eventually pushed out of the apartment by a chemical irritant; however, according to the report, he continued to resist arrest. After refusing to comply with officers, he was shot with a foam-tipped impact round from a less-than-lethal 40mm launcher. After surrendering and being taken into custody, Johnson was treated at the scene before being transported to the hospital for minor injuries.
Johnson is charged with aggravated battery, aggravated assault, domestic battery, criminal threat and interference with a law enforcement officer. He is considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law and is in the Ellis County Jail.
Lewis Haines, who resides in the neighborhood, got a view at the events where he witnessed Johnson being detained outside his home.
“He (Johnson) broke out the east window of the basement,” Haines said.
The Kansas Highway Patrol, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, the Ellis County Sheriff’s Office, the Fort Hays State University Police Department, the Hays Fire Department, and Ellis County Emergency Medical Services assisted during the situation.
Taco Shop, a popular eatery along Eighth Street near campus, was forced to close early Wednesday due to the standoff.“We would also like to thank the neighbors and local business owners for their patience and cooperation during this law enforcement operation,” the report stated.