A Kingston man has been charged with six offences after a three-hour standoff with police shut down a street on Saturday evening.
Police were called around 4:20pm after a member of the public reported a grey Nissan X-Trail driving dangerously on the Southern Outlet towards Kingston.
Officers found the vehicle at a property on Hawthorn Drive around 4:30pm.
Tasmania Police Inspector Luke Horne said when officers tried to speak with the driver, he became aggressive and pulled out two large kitchen knives with blades around 20 to 25 centimetres long.
Officers deployed capsicum spray and a taser, but neither was effective.
The man retreated inside the house and barricaded himself in.
He then claimed he had firearms and that two family members were inside with him. Neither claim turned out to be true.
Horne said the threats prompted police to call in specialist resources including the Special Operations Group and negotiators.
“Any incident where someone has made threats of a firearm or we believe that the life of someone else may be at risk, we’ll take very seriously,” he said.
The man refused to follow any directions from police, forcing officers to develop a tactical plan.
He was taken into custody shortly after 7pm without injury to anyone involved.
The 43-year-old has since been charged with driving while disqualified, evading police, wilfully obstructing a police officer, driving under the influence of a drug, threatening a police officer and assaulting a police officer.
He was remanded in custody and is due to appear in the Hobart Magistrates Court on Monday morning.
Neighbours reported hearing screaming, crying and banging from the property during the standoff.
“We saw like three cars lined up blocking the road,” one nearby resident said.
Police deployed drones and pushed bystanders back during the operation.
Hawthorn Drive has since reopened.
