Attempted murder suspect arrested after five-hour standoff in tree
A man suspected of attempted murder was arrested after a standoff in which he refused to come out of a tall pine tree.
Lane Malouff, 30, was arrested on several outstanding warrants, including one for attempted second-degree murder in Alamosa.
The standoff happened Sunday night at the intersection of Lelaray Street and Eagle View Drive, which is near Union and Palmer Park boulevards in central Colorado Springs.
Police said they found Malouff and began pursuing him after they received a tip that he knows someone in the neighborhood.
Officers chased Malouff across the roof of an apartment complex that was next to the tree, and he climbed to the top of it.
Police evacuated some homes in nearby neighborhoods as a precaution.
“It was a little bit frightening because I have three small kids,” said Selena Padilla, one of the evacuees. “They backed up a tactical vehicle into our yard from the side and then they held up a shield so that we could go into the vehicle, and then they drove us up the road.”
Malouff eventually climbed down from the tree after officers shot nonlethal pepper pellets and sprayed water near him. He was then surrounded by a police K-9 unit and arrested.
“I got struck in the chest with one of (the pellets),” said Casey Jacobs, a neighbor. “It felt like a paintball hitting me, or a marble. It hurt pretty bad, so I can only imagine what it’s like for that guy at close range. People downwind were coughing and gagging from it.”
Police said they understand concerns from some neighbors about the pellets and the length of the standoff, but they wanted to arrest Malouff and keep everyone safe.
“We didn’t know if he had a gun,” said Lt. Howard Black. “There’s some past history of gun involvement. Fortunately, he was unarmed.”
According to the Alamosa Police Department, the attempted murder charge stems from a June 21 incident during which police say Malouff assaulted the mother of his two children, threatened her with a weapon and attempted to strangle her.
Police say there were three children inside the home in the 1800 block of Edison Avenue in Alamosa at the time of the assault. The children were not hurt.
In the same incident, Malouff also faces charges of third-degree assault, child abuse, domestic violence and violating a restraining order.
Malouff was transferred from the El Paso County Criminal Justice Center to Alamosa on Monday morning, and apparently was not charged with resisting arrest or other misdemeanors connected to the standoff.
“I think police handled it the right way,” Padilla said.
