Details Emerge Surrounding Bemidji Area Standoff

Photo Courtesy Beltrami County Jail.

Additional details surrounding a stand off at a home near Cass Lake have been released by area law enforcement.

The Beltrami County Sheriff’s Officer 911 Dispatch Center received information from a distraught female stating that she needed help before the call was abruptly disconnected. The call came in at approximately 3:40 AM on Thursday, according to a press release.

As law enforcement attempted to reach the woman, Beltrami County Deputies and Leech Lake Tribal Police officers went to the scene, which was determined to be a home on the 100 block of Mission Road SE in Ten Lakes Township, located approximately 14 miles southeast of Bemidji, MN.

Upon arrival, Officers made contact with the very distraught female caller, who stated the persons in the residence may have been armed with firearms.

Further information was gathered at the scene, which included learning that the subjects in the residence were actively barricading themselves in the residence. Attempts to negotiate with the individuals in the home were initially unsuccessful, prompting a response from the Headwaters SWAT Team being dispatched to the scene.

Negotiations continued which resulted in limited success as some of the individuals exited the home. It is unclear if those individuals were apprehended. The Sheriff’s Department said in a statement that no additional information will be released at this time.

Shortly before 7:00 AM, tear gas was successfully deployed into the residence, resulting in the arrest of eight individuals.

Personnel from the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office, Cass County Sheriff’s Office, Leech Lake Tribal Police Department, and Minnesota State Patrol responded to the incident at the residence.

After an investigation, law enforcement were able to arrest a 16-year-old and an accomplice identified as Damien Allen Ramsey, 22 of Twin Valley. They were arrested on outstanding warrants at 1:30 PM today in Bemidji.

A team of officers conducted the arrests. The Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office, Bemidji Police, the Paul Bunyan Drug Task Force, The MN Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Leech Lake Tribal Police, BIA, Headwaters Safe Trails Task Force and the FBI assisted with the arrests.

Sheriff Phil Hodapp told Lakeland News last night that after speaking with the alleged victim, the woman changed her story. The woman may not have been held at gunpoint as originally stated.

This is a developing story. Stay with Lakeland News as we continue to give updates.