McKenzie standoff: Man charged after threatening officers, barricading himself in garage

1 hour ago

Jaxon Steward,

McKENZIE, Tenn. — A McKenzie man faces multiple charges after threatening officers and barricading himself in a garage for hours Tuesday, leading to a standoff that required a SWAT team response.

(WBBJ/03-25-26) First responders stand outside a residence along Tennessee Street during a standoff.

Bryan Gearin was charged with three counts of aggravated assault and three counts of assault on a first responder. His bond was set at $300,000.

According to an incident report obtained by WBBJ 7, the incident began around 1:53 p.m. Tuesday when McKenzie police officers arrived at a Tennessee Street address to return a driver’s license. Officers made contact with a garage at the residence where Gearin made threats to burn down the garage with gasoline and kill officers with an assault rifle, according to the report.

Mother says son stopped taking medication

Gearin’s mother told officers her son had stopped taking medication for seizures and a brain injury, had been feeling depressed, and had been drinking alcohol. She said she did not know if he had firearms in the residence.

Officers left to respond to another call but returned around 3:29 p.m. Gearin again refused to speak with officers. When he briefly opened the door and saw a deputy, he slammed it shut and barricaded himself inside. A deputy reported hearing what sounded like a shotgun being racked.

Officers backed away to allow Gearin’s mother to take her son to the emergency room, but she never left with him.

SWAT team deployed chemical agents

Around 4:25 p.m., multiple officers from McKenzie Police and the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office surrounded the residence on Tennessee Street. After unsuccessful contact attempts, Madison County SWAT arrived around 7:30 p.m.

A negotiator spoke with Gearin by phone for about an hour. Gearin made statements about having gasoline in the home. SWAT officers deployed chemical agents into the residence. Gearin was found hiding in the crawl space under the residence and was taken into custody just after 9:15 p.m.