Reluctant Marine Surrenders Following Standoff

No Shots Fired During 7-Hour Incident
The Denver Channel
Jul. 06, 2006

LOVELAND, Colo. -- A standoff with a U.S. Marine in a cul-de-sac ended peacefully Wednesday after a 7-hour standoff.

Authorities said they were called just after 5 a.m. on a report of an armed man who barricaded himself in a cul-de-sac in the 3500 block of Granby Court.

Police Sgt. Rae Bontz said Joshua Christianson, 18, surrendered around noon after officers fired "flash-bang" noise devices and plastic objects at him.

Officers were called to Christianson's family's house shortly after 5 a.m. Christianson was outside the house during the standoff.

Bontz said Christianson never made it clear to negotiators why he wanted to kill himself. He said the young man never pointed the gun at the police.

Officers evacuated all seven houses in the cul-de-sac.

Bontz said Christianson could face a charge of failure to comply with orders from emergency personnel.

Christianson is a member of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit which is based at Camp Pendleton, Calif., Marine spokeswoman Capt. Leticia Reyes said. The unit is scheduled to deploy to the Western Pacific this fall, she said.

Authorities said he never indicated he'd hurt anyone else, but two SWAT teams stood by just in case.

Christianson graduated from Loveland High School in 2005. He joined the Marines at age 17.