RAPID CITY, S.D. – A Hot Springs man is in custody following a weapons call that led to a standoff with law enforcement in a residential neighborhood on Sunday afternoon.

Officers with the Rapid City Police Department were dispatched to the 1300 block of Kansas City Street at approximately 12:35 p.m. on May 3rd after receiving reports of an assault with a weapon.

Upon arrival, police interviewed a bystander who reported seeing a man, later identified as 42-year-old George Gaither, knocking over garbage cans and acting erratically while brandishing a knife. The witness told authorities that when Gaither approached him, he retrieved a firearm from his truck in self-defense.

According to police reports, Gaither retreated from the armed bystander but slashed a tire on the witness’s vehicle before fleeing the immediate area.

Officers later located Gaither hiding in a stand of bushes near the intersection of Kansas City Street and West Street. Authorities stated that Gaither refused to comply with numerous commands to surrender. To resolve the situation, police utilized a specialized launcher to fire pepper balls at the ground near Gaither’s place of concealment.

The chemical irritant prompted Gaither to surrender, and he was taken into custody without further incident.

He was booked into the Pennington County Jail Sunday at 3:09pm with charges of possession of a controlled substance. Records indicate he is also being held on a probation violation.