Millinocket woman fires on police during standoff

MILLINOCKET – Police were fired upon Friday night by a woman with a medical condition after she threatened suicide, authorities said Monday.

No one was hit by the single shotgun blast.

The Maine Warden Service and Maine State Police joined Millinocket police in a two-hour standoff with the woman.

Police would not release her name Monday, saying the incident relates to a medical condition and that her name will not be released unless she is charged.

Police arrived on the scene at 9 p.m., and a Penobscot County dispatcher stayed on the line with the woman until she was detained around 11 p.m. after the dispatcher convinced her to leave the apartment without her gun, Millinocket police Detective Jon Glidden said.

The shot was fired at 9:30 p.m. from the Katahdin Avenue apartment, after the woman warned a dispatcher that she would fire on officers if they tried to stop her.

Police apprehended the woman when she entered the front porch. They took her to Millinocket Regional Hospital and haven’t had contact with her since, Glidden said.

No charges have been filed.

Two people in an adjoining apartment were not able to leave safely and had to stay inside during the standoff, although area houses were evacuated, Glidden said.