An incident unfolded in Diamond Valley, a neighborhood in Prescott, where a 73-year-old man was arrested following a standoff with law enforcement. According to 12 News, the man, identified as Virgil Neigel, made death threats towards a neighbor living in an adjacent elder care home and was subsequently barricaded inside his residence.
After Neigel refused to come out of his home, when deputies attempted to contact him, the situation escalated into a barricade scenario. Deputies were informed by a familiar individual with Neigel that he expressed a determination not to return to jail and would rather "force a deadly encounter" if law enforcement got involved, while he was highly intoxicated, as per 12 News. The Yavapai County Sheriff's Office and Prescott Valley Police Department then decided to prepare a Quick Response Team.
The standoff continued for hours, culminating in a full SWAT team response. With a search warrant approved, SWAT officers entered the house and deployed a K9, which found Neigel hidden in a room behind a wall. Next to his hand, a hatchet lay on the floor. "Once SWAT made the initial entry, PVPD responded with a K9 who located Neigel hiding in a room behind a wall, with a hatchet on the floor next to his hand," as reported by Arizona Daily Independent.
The arrest led to Neigel being taken to the hospital due to injuries sustained during the arrest and his severe intoxication. He is expected to face charges including resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, and threatening or intimidating, as detailed by Arizona Daily Independent.
