Details emerge in standoff, arrest in Missoula

We are learning new information about a Friday night incident that prompted the Missoula Police Department to ask some residents in the South Fourth Street area to stay indoors for several hours.

MPD reports they contacted 46-year-old Seneca Wiley at approximately 8 p.m. about a felony warrant that had been issued for his arrest.

According to a news release, “the situation escalated rapidly due to the severity of the high-risk factors involved.” The SWAT Team, a negotiation team, and the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team were then called to the scene.

MPD spokeswoman Whitney Bennett states, “Wiley, unfortunately, was not cooperative during the initial contact for his arrest.”

MTN

Negotiators talked with Wiley by phone over the course of four hours while “a tactical plan was meticulously crafted,” the release states.

Wiley eventually stopped talking with police and shortly before 2 a.m., the SWAT Team used a “Flash Sound Diversionary Device (FSDD) as part of their callout procedures.”

Wiley then followed the instructions of law enforcement and was arrested.

Bennett says that a Shelter in Place advisory was issued from just before 10 p.m. until just after 2 a.m. for a one-block radius in the area of the incident.

“This precautionary measure was implemented to ensure the safety and well-being of residents in the vicinity,” Bennett stated.