Police: Clyde man shot at deputies, arrested
BELLEVUE — A 36-year-old Clyde man was arrested on a charge of attempted murder after reportedly shooting at police with an AR-15 rifle following a family altercation and a 51⁄2 hour standoff.
The incident began when a 911 caller told police at 6:14 p.m. Saturday that Ray Arley Freeze III, of 209 S. Main St., Clyde, had an altercation with his father and five family members, including two small children, at a home in the 3000 block of North County Road 77 in Bellevue, in the Seneca County section of the city, according to Seneca County Sheriff Fredrick W. Stevens.
The family had locked themselves in a pole barn while Freeze remained in the house, Stevens said in a news release.
Bullets fired through walls and door
Seneca County sheriff ’s deputies arrived and spoke with the family, then went to speak with Freeze. When the deputies announced themselves in the doorway, Freeze raised an AR-15 rifle and started shooting at the deputies through the walls and door, according to the sheriff.
The deputies were not hit and were able to find cover, but could not get to safety, Stevens said. Several shots were fired from an upstairs window while the deputies were pinned down.
An armored vehicle from the Wood County Sheriff ’s Office arrived and assisted in getting the family members and the two deputies to safety as neighbors north and south of the residence were evacuated.
A crisis negotiator using a sound system tried to get Freeze to answer his cell phone, but after an hour of negative results officers deployed tear gas to the upstairs of the residence, Stevens said.
Another effort was made to contact Freeze, who came out of the house and “came marching towards the armored vehicle and Special Response Team and did not listen to the requests of the arrest team,” Stevens said in the news release.
Suspect subdued with a stun gun
Freeze was subdued by a stun gun and taken into custody without injury at 11:44 p.m., according to the news release.
Freeze was charged with attempted murder and other charges are pending the outcome of an investigation, Stevens said.
“I am extremely thankful that the deputies were not hit with the first volley of rounds he fired at them, and also grateful we were able to get the family to safety,” Stevens said. “We have great cooperation in this county with all law enforcement working together and it again showed during this ... highly volatile situation,” Stevens said.
Assisting at the scene were the Tiffin Police Department, Fostoria Police Department, Green Springs Police Department, Wood County Sheriff’s Special Response Team, the Ohio Highway Patrol, AVR Fire, Bloomville EM S, Republic EMS, North Central EMS, Seneca County Echo 1 and SCERT Team. The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation was processing evidence at the scene.