Pocono News Section

Man Shoots at Police During 7-Hour Standoff

Man Shoots at Police During 7-Hour Standoff - Saturday, July 18, 2009 at 4:30PM EST

Reported by: Kyla Campbell
Saturday, Jul 18, 2009 @ 04:30pm EST

MIDDLE SMITHFIELD TOWNSHIP, MONROE COUNTY -- People living along Huffman Hill Road here say they heard gun shots just before 5:30am Saturday. Troopers say 51-year-old Joseph Sarcone was behind the trigger.

"Before we knew it, cops were all over the place," said Scott Dreisbach, a neighbor who was evacuated from his home. "These guys in all their armor were surrounding the area."

"Eventually we got the SERT (Special Emergency Response Team) in place," said Lt. Robert Bartal, a Criminal Investigator with state police in Hazleton. "We repeatedly tried to get him to come out and surrender, and he repeatedly denied those requests."

Lt. Bartal says Sarcone had at least three different guns inside his small apartment, and he fired more than one of them at police. Nobody was hit. For several hours, a negotiator tried to get Sarcone to surrender -- to no avail. The SERT team used tear gas and what they call "less than lethal force" to get inside and get Sarcone into police custody.

The seven-hour long standoff ended just before 1pm. Sarcone was taken to Pocono Mountain Regional hospital for evaluation. He's charged with recklessly endangering another person. Troopers don't believe he shot directly at them. If their investigation proves otherwise, Sarcone could face additional charges.