Standoff ends against 'high-risk' Palmer fugitive, armed with rifle and body armor

Following a standoff against what the Alaska State Troopers called a "high-risk warrant arrest," one Palmer man was taken into custody after shots fired, but without anyone getting hurt.

According to trooper reports, the incident dates back to a case of domestic violence in March. At that time, on Mar. 25, troopers went to a home in Palmer to assess a victim who had been injured in domestic violence.

Troopers were unable to contact the alleged suspect, later identified as 32-year-old Gregory Smith of Palmer. Officers requested a warrant for his arrest.

Skip ahead to Wednesday, April 4, when officers planned on serving that arrest warrant. However, due to background knowledge of Smith, he was considered to be "high-risk," and a special emergency response team, or SERT, was called in to help serve the warrant.

As authorities expected, the warrant was not served easily. When officers arrived at the home, Smith allegedly came to the door clad in body armor and wielding a semi-automatic rifle.

Over the course of the next four hours, authorities maintained a perimeter and engaged in a standoff with Smith, during which he fired "multiple rounds inside the house."

Smith initially refused to leave the house without his weapon, but eventually relented, and exited the home unarmed. He was then arrested and taken to Mat-Su Pretrial Facility, where he was held without bail.