A father who tried to break into a Massachusetts police station before barricading himself inside his home and dangling his young children near a window has been arrested.
Brien Buckley, 35, was charged after an hour-long standoff with police at his home in southeast Massachusetts on Sunday.
The series of events began when Buckley brought a chainsaw to the Cohasset police station and “terrorized” the receptionist by damaging the station’s lobby as he tried to get inside.
Buckley fled to his home where the standoff took place indoors with his son and daughter, both under the age of five. The police eventually entered the house and were able to use a stun gun and overpower the man.
Brien Buckley, 35, was taken into custody after the standoff in Cohasset, Massachusetts
Buckley had called the department earlier in the day and asked them to babysit his two young children, according to Cohasset Police Department Chief William Quiqley.
Hours after they refused, Buckley, who is known to the department, arrived at the station with a chainsaw in tow and attempted to break in.
Buckley arrived at the station by driving his truck straight onto the lawn outside and hit a tree on the property.
Using the chainsaw, Buckley attempted to cut through the station’s security door.
A police officer was able to barricade herself and hide while calling police officers for help.
Quigley said the man “went in and basically terrorized the civilian receptionist who was behind the security door and security glass.”
The man was seen throwing objects out of his window and dangling his young children near the window during the hour-long standoff with police
This is the second floor window where Buckley was seen throwing objects out of the house
Officers at the scene were concerned for the safety of the children in the home because of the man’s erratic behavior
In a press release, police said, “Buckley began damaging the station lobby with the saw and hacked at the security door to gain access to a restricted area where the attendant was located.”
Photos of the door released by officials show the extent of the damage caused by the defendant.
The damaged door is covered in brown paper and police tape.
After terrorizing the warden, Buckley fled to his nearby home, which is only half a mile from police department headquarters.
Buckley arrived at the police station hours after calling and asked them to watch his children
This is the door at the Cohasset Police Station that Buckley tried to break open with a chainsaw
Upon arriving at the scene, a standoff ensued, with officers asking the man to leave the home.
On one occasion, Buckley was seen throwing objects out of a window.
The man also dangled his son and daughter near a second-story window of the home. Luckily no child was hurt.
The police negotiated with him for several hours before weighing the risks and entering the home.
SWAT officers were outside the home for hours Sunday night trying to get the man out
“We hadn’t seen or heard from the kids for over two hours, an hour and a half, and at that point the decision was made that we had to go inside,” Quigley said.
During this time, police urged nearby residents to protect themselves at the scene while they negotiated with Buckley and attempted to remove him from the home.
“We were waiting for an opportunity where he was far enough away from the children for us to enter the home and take him into custody,” the police officer said.
After Buckley was arrested, his son and daughter were placed in their mother’s care.
The children were safely rescued from the home and reunited with their mother
Neighbors in the sleepy community were nervous for hours as the standoff continued and police lights and sirens lit up the area.
Paul Brady, who lives near Buckley, told Boston 25 he was very concerned for the safety of the two young children at home.
“Extremely worried. I saw them running around the neighborhood and playing nice, pretty little kids,” Brady said.
“It’s a quiet area and things like that just don’t happen. It’s a really strange set of circumstances right now.’
This is the house where the situation happened on Sunday evening
After his arrest, Buckley was taken to a hospital for a mental health evaluation.
According to Quigley, the investigation is still ongoing.
Buckley was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon using a chainsaw, three counts of criminal damage, two counts of child endangerment, resisting arrest, driving in danger, driving a motor vehicle without permission, disorderly conduct, disturbance of the peace and wanton destruction of a tree.
He was arraigned Monday in Quincy Circuit Court.
Buckley was taken to Bridgewater Hospital for a more comprehensive mental and physical examination on Monday after his first court appearance.
He is currently being held without bail.
Public records indicate that Buckley has been arrested for other offenses at least seven times in the past.
His arrests include charges of assault, drug distribution, disorderly conduct, resisting an officer and vandalism.