Pueblo man arrested after threatening to shoot deputies, 11 firearms seized from home

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) – A Pueblo West man is in custody after an hours-long standoff and a series of violent threats against law enforcement that led to the recovery of nearly a dozen firearms from his home and vehicle, the Pueblo County Sheriff's Office (PCSO) says.

According to PCSO, on Sunday, May 18 at around 5:30 p.m., deputies responded to a report of an armed suicidal man sitting in a vehicle in front of a residence on Sandusky Drive, near North Gantts Fort Avenue.

The man, who was identified as 50-year-old Jason Monett, was back inside his home by the time deputies arrived – but inside that home, he reportedly had access to "multiple weapons," PCSO said.

Two other people were inside the home when deputies arrived, and were able to get out safely. Monett, however, refused to leave the residence, instead threatening to "shoot it out" with the deputies, PCSO said.

Hoping to avoid escalating the situation, the deputies left the home.

But just over two hours later, Monett called the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Communication Center and demanded to speak with the lieutenant on duty.

During the call, Monett made multiple violent threats, including saying he was going to "look for the lieutenant so he could shoot him in the head," and threatening to go to the Pueblo West Sheriff's substation and shoot deputies there, PCSO said. He also said that if any deputies came to his house, he would shoot at them.

Following that phone call, deputies learned that Monett had driven by the Pueblo West Sheriff's substation several times before returning home.

Given the threats and knowing that Monett had access to firearms, PCSO decided to call in the SWAT and crisis negotiations teams to assist them with attempting to get him to peacefully surrender.

At Monett's residence, the team negotiated with him for hours before he finally agreed to surrender. He was taken to a local hospital for medical evaluation before being booked into the Pueblo County Jail on charges including first-degree assault.

Following his arrest, deputies executed a search warrant on Monett’s home and vehicle, where they found 11 firearms — including handguns, long guns, and rifles — along with ammunition. The weapons were seized for safekeeping, PCSO said.

“It’s pretty scary when you have someone armed with guns, threatening to shoot at deputies, and then going out to look for them,” said Pueblo County Sheriff David J. Lucero. “I’m super proud of my deputies and the lieutenant for how they handled this situation. The composure and professionalism they demonstrated under such tense circumstances is commendable. No one was injured, and all my deputies went home safely.”

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