Standoff in Elbert ends when man passes out

A long standoff between a gunman and El Paso County sheriff's deputies ended Saturday night when the man passed out.

The standoff started about 8 p.m. at a house on Great Smokey Avenue in Elbert when deputies responded to a call about a suicidal man who had weapons. After waiting a few hours without hearing from the man, who was not identified, deputies sent a robot into the house to see him, said Lt. Lari Sevene, sheriff spokeswoman. They saw that the man was on the floor with a gun nearby. He seemed to be under the influence of some type of drug or medication, she said.

A SWAT team stormed the house and the man was taken to the hospital. Sevene said that deputies are still deciding whether to recommend that charges be pressed against him, and if further medical treatment will be needed.