Woman Arrested After Armed Standoff In Washington County

WASHINGTON COUNTY, MN — Police say one woman was taken into custody after an armed standoff in Newport. On Thursday just after 12 p.m., Washington County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to a report of woman with a gun in the 2100 block of 3rd Ave in Newport.

At the scene, they found a woman holding a handgun standing outside a home. Authorities say that while the deputies tried to communicate with the woman, she continued to point the gun at them.

Officers from the Cottage Grove, Woodbury and St. Paul Park police departments and members of the Washington SWAT and Washington County SWAT negotiators also responded to the scene, according to a news release.

Deputies and officers tried to negotiate with the woman for nearly an hour, but were unable to convince her to drop the weapon, authorities said.

Police say "less than lethal" munitions were used and the woman was taken into custody, and hospitalized for an evaluation.

No deputies or officers fired their weapons during this encounter, authorities said.

"The Sheriff’s Office is proud of the great work done by all the deputies and officers on scene and because of their actions they were able to bring this very dangerous situation to a peaceful resolution," the department said in a statement.