When a life-threatening situation unfolded in Gering, the Alliance Police Department was one of the entities providing support in helping draw the incident to a peaceful resolution.
According to a press release issued by the Scotts Bluff County Sheriff’s Office, the events kicked off on Sept. 26 when a Scotts Bluff County Deputy attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a vehicle in Gering for a traffic violation. The driver of the vehicle, who was later identified as Bradley Garcia, 37, refused to stop and a pursuit ensued with help from the Gering Police Department.
The pursuit drew to a close when Garcia crashed the vehicle into a garage located in the 2300 block of 19th Street in Gering.
“Garcia discharged a firearm towards the Deputy’s vehicle during the pursuit, but did not strike the vehicle. Garcia then entered the home and took the three female occupants hostage. Eventually, he allowed two juvenile females to leave the house unharmed,” the press release stated.
According to the release, Garcia fired multiple gunshots toward law enforcement officers, using more than one weapon; however, no officers or citizens were injured, and no rounds were fired by law enforcement.
Garcia continued to hold one female hostage until Sept. 27, when members of the FBI Hostage Rescue and SWAT teams took action to rescue the hostage. According to a press release issued by the Scotts Bluff County Sheriff’s Office on Sept. 28, FBI negotiators and tactical personnel made multiple attempts to communicate with Garcia, but the attempts were unsuccessful. Garcia gained access to the attic and also behind walls of the structure, and teams deployed chemical agents, which caused Garcia to emerge, and he was taken into custody. He was transported to Regional West Medical Center and after he was medically cleared, he was housed at the Scotts Bluff County Detention Center.
According to the release, firearms were recovered from the house. At no time during the incident, no shots were fired by any law enforcement, though the teams used various munitions and equipment to bring the incident to a close.
Garcia is charged with seven counts of Attempted First Degree Assault on an Officer, three counts of First Degree False Imprisonment, Use of a Deadly Weapon to Commit a Felony, Possession of a Deadly Weapon by a Prohibited Person and Felon in Possession of a Firearm.
During the incident, the FBI provided tactical assistance, including SWAT teams and negotiators from the Omaha and Denver field offices, as well as the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team from Quantico, Virginia.
FBI Omaha Special Agent in Charge Eugene Kowel said, “We are grateful for our strong partnership with the Scotts Bluff Sheriff’s Department, Gering Police Department, Nebraska State Patrol, and every other agency which participated. Every agency brought a unique skill set which contributed to a successful outcome. We work closely with our state and local partners in Nebraska to protect the community from violent criminal activity. This operation was a great example of how teamwork between law enforcement agencies is critical during life-threatening incidents.”
According to a statement issued on the Alliance Police Department’s Facebook page, at 4:50 p.m. on Sept. 26, the APD received a request from Scottsbluff Communications on behalf of the Gering Police Department for assistance with the APD MRAP Tactical Vehicle.
“Sergeant Grumbles and Officer Norris, who were just finishing their shift, in addition to off-duty Sergeant Peterson, deployed in the MRAP and proceeded to Gering in support of law enforcement efforts,” the APD wrote in the statement. “Upon arrival, Incident Command requested the MRAP position at the front door of the incident residence to provide cover and exit for officers on scene who had been pinned down in their positions. Officers were successfully evacuated from their compromised positions as a result. The MRAP maintained this cover position for over an hour before being moved to the incident staging area.”
APD officers returned to Alliance at approximately 2 a.m., leaving the MRAP with the Nebraska State Patrol Incident Command Staff to be deployed as needed.
“The type of dedication shown by our officers and their selfless sacrifice to assist our brothers and sisters in law enforcement while being separated from their families for an extended period of time reflects the exceptional, professional, selfless dedication they exhibit every day while serving our community. Our APD family would like to celebrate the honor, courage, and dedication shown, which often goes unrecognized. We are truly honored to have the highest quality staff and human beings as part of our APD family! Thank you, All,” the APD wrote in the statement.