Cass County (trfnews.i234.me) — A 35-year-old Fargo man survived a dangerous confrontation with police Tuesday night after pointing a loaded flare gun at officers during a standoff downtown.
According to the Fargo Police Department, officers were dispatched around 10:00 p.m. Tuesday to a business in the 100 block of Broadway North after staff reported a male causing a disturbance and entering a restroom with a flare gun. Officers made contact with the suspect — identified as Samuel Platt, who has no permanent address — inside the bathroom.
When confronted, Platt pointed the flare gun, considered a potentially deadly weapon, directly at one of the officers. Police retreated to the threshold of the restroom as Platt barricaded himself inside a stall. Negotiators attempted to establish communication, but Platt refused to comply or surrender despite repeated commands.
Officers deployed pepper balls — less-lethal projectiles containing a chemical irritant — toward the stall door in an attempt to end the standoff safely. Platt then opened the stall door, again pointing the flare gun at the police. Officers responded by firing additional less-lethal rounds, including one impact projectile that struck Platt, allowing officers to take him into custody without further incident.
Police recovered the loaded flare gun and additional flares from Platt’s possession. He was treated at a local hospital before being booked into the Cass County Jail.
“The responding officers demonstrated excellent judgment, decision-making, and problem-solving to resolve this incident without any significant injury to the public, the officers, or the suspect,” said Fargo Police Chief Dave Zibolski. He noted that the use of less-lethal force was justified and appropriate given the threat posed by the armed suspect.
Platt now faces multiple charges, including terrorizing, preventing arrest, unlawful possession of a firearm, possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia, and criminal trespass.
I’m Chris Harper reporting for TRF News.
