Man barricaded in front of ex-girlfriend's home arrested


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SANDY — A 38-year-old man who broke into his ex-girlfriend's home and then barricaded himself in his truck with a gun Tuesday morning was taken into custody, officials said.

The man, Paul Gunn, and his ex-girlfriend, who were dating for eight years and had been living together, broke up, and Gunn went to her house early Tuesday morning. The garage code had been changed, so he kicked in the door. He was rummaging through some things when his ex-girlfriend came out and he put her in a choke hold, covered her mouth and told her he would blow her head off if she screamed, according to Sgt. Dean Carriger with the Sandy Police Department.

The woman’s 12-year-old daughter woke up and came into the room, and Gunn grabbed her cellphone and fled, Carriger said.

Gunn went back to the home around 8:30 a.m. He contacted his brother and threatened to commit suicide with a gun. He was in his 1995 Nissan Truck in front of the home and reportedly had a gun, Carriger said.

Police eventually were able to take Gunn into custody. He was evaluated and booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on suspicion of possession of a firearm by a restricted person, which is a second degree felony. The case is still under investigation, and the completed case will be presented to the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office for a determination of formal charges to be filed, Carriger said.

During the standoff, the house was evacuated, and Hawkwood Drive was temporarily closed from 11400 South to 11300 South. Alta High School and Altara Elementary School were notified of the situation, Carriger said. Altara Elementary School was temporarily placed on shelter-in-place status. The order was lifted shortly after 10 a.m., according to Canyons School District officials.

Contributing: Shara Park

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