LEBANON, Tenn. (WKRN) — An apparently random shooting at a red light led to a standoff with law enforcement before the suspect was taken into custody at a Lebanon motel Tuesday.

Officials applauded much of the Lebanon Police Department for stepping in to aid with the arrest, including the police chief and a couple of captains.

"This kind of behavior is not tolerated in our city," LPD Public Information Officer Zach Patton said.

Authorities said they received a call on Monday, June 23 about a person who was shot at by a passenger in another car while sitting at a stop light by East Main Street and Carthage Highway. The victim was reportedly not injured.

According to police, investigators determined the incident seemed to be an "unprovoked act." Then, during a patrol, an officer spotted the suspect vehicle at a local hotel.

The next day, law enforcement said they responded to a report of a man and a woman arguing in the parking lot at Plaza 231 Inn, but when the officer tried to speak with them, the man -- identified as Montelito "Loco" Johnson, a potential suspect in Monday's shooting -- went inside a motel room.

"Our Hostage Negotiation Team quickly arrived at the scene and began a line of communication with Mr. Johnson," Patton said.  

After negotiating for 20 minutes, Johnson was taken into custody by officers and the command staff, according to Patton.

"Our captains and police chief and one of our corporals [were] actually the ones that went in and arrested the dude and cleared the hotel room," Patton said. 

In a rare instance, Lebanon Police Chief Mike Justice and two captains helped with the arrest.

"We have 40-something square miles of other area to cover, and something like this takes a lot of resources, so our command staff -- our captains and our major and police chief -- they don’t shy away if they need to get their hands dirty and be involved in the thick of things," Patton said. 

After Johnson was apprehended, authorities said they searched the motel room and found potential evidence from the shooting.

"Detectives found a weapon up in the ceiling of the motel room that could have been used in the shooting in the previous night," Patton said. 

The Lebanon native was taken to the Wilson County Jail, according to Patton. Johnson was charged with aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, unlawful possession of a weapon, and vandalism.

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/lebanon-police-chief-captains-help-arrest-shooting-suspect/