NORTH ADAMS, MA — A North Adams man is scheduled to be arraigned Friday in Northern Berkshire District Court in connection with a domestic incident that began the evening of June 10 and continued into the early morning of June 11, authorities said.
Matthew Parker, 44, of North Adams, is charged with domestic assault and battery.
He also is charged with three counts of assault with intent to murder.
Additional charges include three counts of carrying a firearm while under the influence of alcohol.
Authorities said Parker also is charged with four counts of possession of a high-capacity firearm.
He also faces two counts of improper storage of a high-capacity firearm and six counts of improper storage of a firearm.
North Adams police said officers were dispatched to a home on Houghton Street at about 8:42 p.m. June 10 after receiving a report of a domestic assault and battery.
The reporting party told police she and her husband had been involved in a physical altercation and said he was intoxicated, making suicidal statements about shooting himself and had access to a shotgun and a pistol, according to authorities.
Police said officers made contact with the reporting party and Parker after arriving at the residence.
During the encounter, Parker threatened to shoot responding officers before retreating into the home and refusing to come out, police said.
Based on the information available at the time, officers believed he was armed, authorities said.
Police established a perimeter around the residence and requested assistance from the Berkshire County Special Response Team and North Adams police crisis negotiators.
The Brien Center also provided an emergency mental health clinician to assist, authorities said.
During the operation, Special Response Team personnel used drones to monitor the residence and provide aerial illumination, police said.
Officers saw Parker leave the residence carrying a rifle and point it at the drones, according to authorities.
Police said Parker then pointed the rifle toward several officers positioned behind their cruisers before going back inside the home.
Crisis negotiators remained in communication with Parker for several hours in an effort to resolve the situation peacefully, authorities said.
At about 2 a.m., Parker stopped communicating with negotiators, police said.
Drone operators later observed him unconscious in a recliner on the first floor of the residence, with a rifle and shotgun on the floor nearby, according to authorities.
Members of the Berkshire County Special Response Team then entered the residence, secured the firearms and took Parker into custody, police said.
Authorities said diversionary devices were deployed through a window as the entry team moved in.
After Parker was taken into custody, police executed a search warrant at the home.
North Adams police said they seized four shotguns, six rifles, two handguns and thousands of rounds of ammunition.
One Special Response Team member sustained a minor injury related to a less-lethal bean bag deployment during the operation, authorities said.
Parker also sustained non-life-threatening injuries during the arrest and was taken to Berkshire Medical Center for evaluation, police said.
