Chainsaw-wielding man storms police station, holds two children hostage before arrest, police say

(COHASSET, Mass.) — A man allegedly wielded a gas-powered chainsaw as he attempted to storm a Massachusetts police station on Sunday afternoon, according to the Cohasset Police Department.

He then allegedly held two children hostage at a nearby home, according to police.

Cohasset Police said Brien Buckley, 35, was arrested at around 9 p.m. on Sunday night after an hours-long standoff with a SWAT team, hostage negotiators and multiple local police forces.

Buckley was arrested on multiple child engagement and property damage charges, as well as resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace and other charges, police said. He’s being held without bail, according to officials.

Buckley allegedly drove onto the lawn of the Cohasset Police Department’s headquarters at about 2:30 p.m. before entering the lobby “revving” a gas-powered chainsaw, according to a statement. A civilian desk assistant contacted officers, as Buckley attempted to use the saw to enter a restricted area of the police station, officials said.

“He attempted to cut through the security door of the lobby of the police station,” Cohasset Police Chief William Quigley said during a press conference.

Quigley noted that the man was previously “known to the department.”

According to police, Buckley fled the station to a residence in Cohasset where he allegedly barricaded himself inside with two small children.

“There are two young children in the house under five years of age,” Quigley said while the situation was ongoing.

At one point, Buckley allegedly dangled the children from a second-story window while yelling at officers on the ground, according to the release.

After attempts to de-escalate the situation failed, law enforcement made the decision to forcibly enter the home due to a “clear and present danger to the children,” officials said. Police said they used a taser to take Buckley into custody. The children were removed from the home by officers, according to the release.

From roughly 3:40 p.m. to 9:15 p.m., the Cohasset police instituted a shelter-in-place order for a quarter-mile radius from the home in which Buckley was barricaded.

The two children were reunited with their mother and grandfather at the scene, and Buckley was detained without bail after originally being transported to a local hospital, police said.

Prosecutors will arraign Buckley on Monday at Quincy District Court, according to police.