Man Arrested After Storming Police Station with Chainsaw Before Hours-Long Standoff with Two Kids, Cops Say

It all began Sunday around 2:30pm in Cohasset, MA, after police officers received "a frantic call" from their own front desk attendant "reporting that a male had driven over the lawn of the police station, hit a tree on the property, exited his pick-up truck, and then entered the lobby revving a gas-powered chain saw."

Per a police release, "The man began to damage the lobby of the station with the saw and was chopping at the security door, attempting to gain entry into a restricted area where the attendant was."

The man, later identified by police as Brien Buckley, then allegedly "fled" in the same truck and returned to his home, where he "began yelling at officers from inside the home and dangled 2-small children in front of a 2nd story window." The children were described as a boy and a girl, both under the age of 5.

A shelter-in-place order was enacted from 3:40 until 9:15pm in the nearby area as police attempted to de-escalate the situation and get Buckley to exit his home. Local authorities called in the regional SWAT team and hostage negotiators, but "after hours-long negotiations, the male became more erratic" and SWAT was granted permission by Cohasset Commanders to enter the home.

"He was agitated with the officers and when he went to that window, that gave us the opportunity — we knew he was away from the kids — to take him into custody," police Chief William Quigley explained to WCVB.

Cohasset police said "the suspect was taken into custody after resisting arrest" and "brought down" with a taser, adding that the children were removed from the home and reunited with their mother and grandfather on the scene.

Buckley -- who police said was "known" to the department -- was taken to a hospital for a mental health evaluation and, after a court appearance this morning, was sent to another facility for what WCVB called "a more extensive evaluation."

He was booked on charges of assault by means of a dangerous weapon to wit a chainsaw; Damage to property (3-counts); Child endangerment (2-counts); Resisting arrest; Driving to endanger; Unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle; Disorderly conduct; Disturbing the peace; and Wanton destruction of a tree.