No One Was Hurt as Brewer Walmart Standoff is Resolved
Police have peacefully resolved an 8-hour long standoff at Brewer Walmart, taking the suspect into custody.
A scary situation that saw an armed gunman in a vehicle outside the Brewer Walmart, and frightened, frustrated customers locked inside the store, came to a relatively peaceful end just after midnight. Patrick Mullen, 51, whose last known address was in Scarborough, was taken into custody with the help of a police K9.
The incident started as a disorderly call at approximately 4:05 PM Friday. Brewer Police went to Walmart on Wilson Street and spoke with Mullen in the parking lot. They discovered that he had three active warrants for his arrest for failing to appear on a variety of criminal charges and also had active bail conditions. But when they confronted him, Mullens became agitated and displayed a firearm, from inside his vehicle, threatening to kill himself.
Police secured a perimeter, evacuated the parking lot, and put the store on lockdown. All the customers were kept inside the building for several hours, while police tried to negotiate a peaceful resolution. Eventually, officials allowed customers to contact friends and family members to pick them up behind the store, as the situation continued to unfold.
Mullen refused to talk to police and so they brought in a special response team from the Penobscot County Sheriff's Office, whose negotiators were able to communicate with him. The Maine State Police Tactical Team also got set up. Arrest warrants were obtained for Mullens for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, violation of bail, and creating a police standoff.
Just before 1:00 AM Saturday, members of the tactical team took Mullens into custody. A Police K9 was deployed during the arrest, and Mullens received a laceration to his arm. Officials took him to Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center to be checked out. Bangor Police were assisted in this incident by members of Bangor, Holden, and Maine State Police, as well as the Penobscot County Sheriff's Office.