Greenwood Village police explain using force to end standoff

After a more than 18-hour standoff in a Greenwood Village home that left the house in ruin by whatsome called excessive force, police explained their position Monday.

Although the initial incident that led Robert Jonathon Seacat, 32, to flee into a home on Wednesdaywas shoplifting, Cmdr. Dustin Varney with the Greenwood Village Police Department stressed that itescalated into something far more serious.

Varney described initial communication with Seacat as "neutral to positive" that deteriorated as thehours dragged on.

(Photo courtesy Leo Lech)

After about 9 hours of negotiating and with more than 100 officers on scene, Varney made the call tosend in a team of officers who he said Seacat shot at, "almost killing them."

Police used tear gas as a removal tactic, but Varney said he believes it did not work because Seacatwas on drugs.

When tear gas did not work and more hours passed, Varney said police were "left with no choice"but to use the force's tactical Bearcat with an attached "boom-mechanism" to "push things open" andget a clearer view of the suspect.