Police K-9 ends standoff with armed man

Published on December 6, 2017

NEW CASTLE, Ind. – A New Castle man’s encounter with city police this week resulted in him being bitten by a police K-9.

All things considered, it could have been worse.

Family members told police Danny R. Baker, 53, had fired a gunshot inside his South Main Street home and announced he intended to either shoot himself or force police officers to shoot him.

When officers arrived about 11 p.m. Sunday, Baker allegedly refused to surrender or show officers his hands, so they could determine whether he was still armed.

Baker also ignored warnings a police K-9, named Chaos, would be released if he did not comply. The dog took Baker “to the floor,” a report said, and he was taken into custody.

“You guys were supposed to shoot me,” Baker reportedly told officers. “Just shoot me.”

Investigators found a loaded .38-caliber handgun nearby.

The New Castle man was taken to Henry County Hospital, where he received two staples to close his bite wounds, the report said.

A breath test measured Baker’s blood-alcohol content at 0.24, more than three times the legal limit for motorists in Indiana.

On Monday, Henry County Prosecutor Joe Bergacs’ office charged Baker with criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon and resisting law enforcement. He was being held in the Henry County jail under a $9,000 bond.

Douglas Walker is a news reporter at The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.