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The Bartlesville Police Department has closed an active scene along Rice Creek Road that lasted over an hour.

According to Chief Tracy Roles, a male suspect returned after trespassing at a nearby business. He said the subject fled on foot when police arrived and produced a handgun.

Officers were attempting to de-escalate the situation from there. Chief Roles had asked the public to avoid the area as it was a very active scene.

Bartlesville Police Captain Jay Hastings said police were negotiating with a suicidal subject who had a handgun. Hastings said the original call was about a suspicious person going in and out of businesses near Price Road and U.S. Highway 75. He said the subject is a homeless man that claimed to be a sovereign citizen.

Capt. Hastings said officers had been following the subject in the woods and that the subject would occassionally point the weapon at himself. He said they made it as far south as an open field at County Road 2200 west of Washington Boulevard. 

During the negotiation process, Capt. Hastings said the subject never pointed his gun at police. Hastings said the subject would never put the gun down or away. He said two officers loaded less than lethal bean bag rounds into their shotguns, and when the subject turned away, the officers fired the bean bag rounds. The rounds hit the subject in his side and chest.

The rounds caused the subject to fall to the ground temporarily. Capt. Hastings said officers would then rush in to grab the gun from the subject. Hastings said they would go on to secure the chamber loaded handgun from there. He said they're glad no one got shot, including the suspect.

The subject was taken into protective custody at approximately 1:40 p.m. on Wednesday. Capt. Hastings said the suspect was taken to the hospital for an evaluation to determine his mental status and see if he needed to be taken to another hospital.

According to Capt. Hastings, the subject was taking up residence in the field behind the Aldi grocery store. Hastings said the suspect had been squatting on the property. He reiterated that the subject was reported to have gone in and out of businesses suspiciously at Price and Hwy 75 before police arrived, resulting in the man drawing his weapon to his hip and leading police through the woods nearby.

Capt. Hastings said they pursued the subject for 20 minutes before they ended up in the field at Road 2200 and Washington Boulevard. He said the Washington County Sheriff's Office was also on hand to secure the area and diffuse the situation.

The goal once they got into the field was to contain the subject. Capt. Hastings said they didn't want the man to go into any populated areas with his loaded firearm. He said they're happy they were able to bring the situation to a safe conclusion and that no one was harmed.