HELENA – Helena Police responded to the baseball fields near Helena High School Monday evening for reports of a suspicious man with a gun.
Lieutenant Brett Petty said multiple people called 911 during a softball game around 7:45 p.m. During the initial investigation, HPD said spectators were told to ‘disperse’ until the suspect was located.
A complainant advised they observed a male in a vacant lot and has a pistol in his hand waving it around. The complainant also advised there is no one else in the area, just this male and it did not appear he was pointing the pistol at anyone.
Several Officers from the Helena Police Department and Lewis and Clark County Sheriffs Office arrived in the area and started speaking with people in the area. Officers received differing reports from several people in the area on where the male was and possibly the male being agitated.
Officers took precautions that this male may be a threat and had people leave the area. At the time of the call, there were softball games going on and the Officers had asked for people at these games to leave the area.
Petty said the 53 year-old male in question was located, and the alleged gun turned out to be an air-soft gun. The man did not make any threats towards anyone with the air soft gun and it is not believed he was discharging the air soft gun at anything.
After speaking with the man, HPD said no charges were filed and there is no threat to the public.
