Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Fayetteville couple held after standoff
Police say man, 26, fired at officers
FAYETTEVILLE — Police arrested Austin Wenger on Friday in connection with attempted capital murder of a police officer after they said he fired at officers during a seven-hour standoff at an apartment at the Greens at Lakeside Village off North Gregg Street.
Wenger and his wife, Megan Jones Wenger, were taken into custody after police fired several rounds of gas into the apartment and blew open the front door around 4 p.m., according to Sgt. Anthony Murphy, police spokesman. No one was injured during the standoff.
Wenger, 26, of 10480 Jeter Road in Fayetteville, was arrested in connection with the attempted capital murder of a police officer, according to a preliminary report from the Fayetteville Police Department. He was also arrested in connection with three counts of kidnapping; possession of a firearm by certain persons and criminal mischief.
Megan Wenger, 23, was arrested in connection with hindering apprehension and criminal mischief. A police report said Megan Wenger acted with Austin Wenger in
his attempt to not be captured by police and never assisted the children in getting out of the apartment. Police said Austin Wenger posted a Facebook Live video during the standoff in which he bragged about getting into a shootout with police and referred to the couple as being “Bonnie and Clyde.” Megan Wenger could be seen in the video smiling and waving to the camera, the police report said.
According to the report, police were attempting to find Austin Wenger about a report of a stolen vehicle and a report of shots being fired during a vehicle chase in the area of the Bedford Loop Apartments on Thursday. The report said Wenger fired at least five shots at a silver Dodge Avenger, with at least two hitting the car. No one was injured in the shooting.
Murphy said three children were in the apartment when police arrived about 9 a.m. The children left the apartment through a window in the afternoon before police used the gas and explosive devices.
Police received a tip Wenger was at his sister’s home at 2691 N. Club Drive and investigators found the vehicle thought to have been used in the shooting at the apartment complex, according to the report.
Wenger’s sister, who wasn’t identified, left the apartment around 7:53 a.m. on Friday, the report said. She seemed to be scouting the area around the
vehicle and looking for signs of surveillance, according to the report. She was stopped and confirmed Wenger was in the apartment and also three children and another woman were in the apartment.
During the standoff, the report states, Wenger refused to allow the children to leave. The report says Wenger fired at least two shots from inside the apartment. One round nearly hit a uniformed officer outside the apartment according to the report.
The children were kept in a bedroom of the apartment, the report states, and escaped on their own through a window.
The building the apartment is in was evacuated. Residents at adjacent buildings were asked to leave. The School District notified parents high school students were kept at school and not riding the bus that usually stops at the complex.
Officers from the Springdale Police Department and
the Washington County Sheriff’s Office worked with Fayetteville officers during the standoff. Murphy said the departments have a regional Special Weapons and Tactics team and several officers from Springdale were deployed as part of the team, along with two armored vehicles.
Fayetteville’s Fire Department had engines at the standoff and a Central Emergency Medical Services ambulance was present throughout the day.
Fayetteville’s Crisis Response Team spent several hours trying to communicate with the man and woman without success. A negotiator spent time on a loudspeaker system trying to persuade one or both to come out.
“I need you to walk outside with your hands up,” the officer said. “We’ve been talking to your family all day. We need you to step outside so we can resolve this peacefully.”
Police used a robot to place a phone near the window the children left through and asked the man or woman to pick up the phone and speak to them. Police told the man they talked to his mother and his brother.
The electricity and water to the apartment were cut off during the day as police attempts to communicate were unsuccessful. The outdoor temperature had topped 90 degrees by 3 p.m.
Police fired gas canisters into the apartment about 3 p.m., but received no response. Around 3:30 p.m., Murphy said, the SWAT team used an explosive device to blow open the front door. After the man and woman continued to refuse to respond, more gas canisters were fired into the apartment.
Both Austin Wenger and Megan Wenger were taken to the Washington County Detention Center.