Four area Special Response Teams honored for efforts in 2023 Antigo hostage incident

BROOKFIELD – Last week, four area Special Response Teams (SRTs), including Lincoln County’s, were recognized for their roles in a hostage rescue incident in the City of Antigo.

The Lincoln, Langlade, Marathon and Oneida County Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) teams received the “Co-SWAT Teams Of the Year” award at the Wisconsin Association of SWAT Personnel (WI-ASP) annual conference and awards banquet, held in Brookfield from Sunday, March 22 through Wednesday, March 24.

The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office said that on June 3, 2023, the Antigo Police Department requested the assistance of the Langlade County Special Response Team (SRT) after male suspect, age 41 and a convicted felon, was involved in an earlier domestic dispute and had taken two small children hostage before barricading himself inside a residence.

The Langlade County SRT then requested mutual aid from Lincoln, Marathon and Oneida Counties.

“The standoff lasted nearly eight hours, during which time, crisis negotiators from Lincoln, Langlade and Marathon Counties attempted to persuade the suspect to surrender,” the Sheriff’s Office stated. “When the suspect became more agitated and the situation more dangerous, tactical officers from all four agencies who had been assigned to the rescue team made entry into the residence and, within seconds, secured the two small children and evacuated them to safety.”

The suspect, who had fled deeper into the interior of the residence, further barricaded himself inside a small closet. Over the next several hours, the Sheriff’s Office said, numerous deliberate tactics were used in an attempt to get the suspect to surrender before he was finally forced from his barricade and taken into custody.

The suspect was recently sentenced to nine years in the Wisconsin state prison system, at which time, official records were unsealed, and the four teams were nominated for the award, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

The citation from the WI-ASP said the combined tactical teams of Lincoln, Langlade, Marathon and Oneida Counties “performed outstandingly in handling a dangerous and deadly situation.”

“Their planning, strategy and various levels of response to an armed suspect barricaded in his residence tested their abilities and resolve as a multi-jurisdictional tactical team,” the citation said. “Their unified actions, their confidence in each other, their reliance on their equipment and trust in their training, their unity of resolve and their ability to remain calm, controlled and focused represents not only a sound understanding of the principles of teamwork, but reflects a level of performance equal to the highest standards demanded in the field of Special Weapons and Tactics. All four teams combined their training and experience and, working together as one unified and cohesive unit, performed outstandingly. Their bravery, selflessness, dedication to duty and courage under fire proved them to be exactly what we have come to expect from those who prescribe to the title of SWAT.”

“We are extremely proud of not just our own Lincoln County SRT and the dedication it takes from each of our members to commit so much of their time to maintaining their own highest level of training, but to all the teams for prioritizing regular joint trainings to ensure seamless interoperability when any one of our agencies is in need of mutual aid,” the Sheriff’s Office stated. “Congratulations to all four tactical teams on a job well done.”