A Sitka man was arrested early Sunday morning (1-11-15) after a tense stand-off with police.

Police Chief Sheldon Schmitt said dispatch received a call around 2 a.m. Sunday, reporting a disturbance near the 1300 block of Halibut Point Road.

Officers arrived to find 34-year-old River Dailey barricaded inside the cabin of a boat on the property, along with another man, Schmitt said.

“He was hollering threats at the police officers, making threats to shoot or kill the police officers,” Schmitt said. “We didn’t know if he had a weapon, we didn’t see any weapon, but we definitely were cautious that he may have one. So, in the interest of public safety, we blocked the road, and attempted to get him to come out of the house, without success.”

Police eventually fired a canister of tear gas into the boat to force Dailey out, Schmitt said. Officers did not find a firearm on Dailey, or in the boat.

Because Dailey had another man locked in the cabin of the boat with him, police at first treated the scene as a hostage situation, Schmitt said.

“We felt like it may have been a hostage situation, we weren’t sure,” he said. “And we still aren’t clear on that, that part of it. We’re still investigating.”

Schmitt said both men appeared to be heavily intoxicated. He complimented the responding officers for remaining calm under pressure.

“The guys, I thought they did a good job not getting too worked up,” Schmitt said. “[You] try as best you can to stay calm in those kind of situations, and try not to overreact. Because he definitely was highly volatile, like he wanted something to happen. And I’m just happy that everything was resolved peacefully.”

Dailey faces three charges of felony assault, as well as charges of disorderly conduct and violating his conditions of release.