Residents clean up after lengthy standoff

Residents of a Colorado Springs four-plex are left with a big mess, after a standoff that started Wednesday night.

The standoff started at around 6 p.m. Wednesday and ended at around 1 a.m. Thursday. Police arrested James Ferrell, 29, who was wanted for felony burglary and trespassing charges. They tried to contact Ferrell at an apartment in the 1800 block of Monterey Road. Ferrell refused to leave the apartment and barricaded himself in a bedroom. He also tried to escape officers by crawling through an attic space as people were being evacuated, police said.

On Thursday, residents were cleaning up the damage. Glass back doors were shattered at two of the units and many of the windows were broken. There was shattered glass and the presence of tear gas.

“My apartment is saturated, literally,” resident Laurie Dillen said. “I still have it on my floor, there’s a canister.”

Dillen said she was unhappy with how the police handled her home. The lieutenant who supervises the SWAT team said they are cognizant of damage and they try to minimize any damage to the best of their abilities.

A spokesperson with the city of Colorado Springs said if residents have any concerns about damage to their property because of a CSPD or CSFD response, they can contact the city’s risk management office and file a claim.