Man dies of self-inflicted injuries after hourslong standoff in Philipsburg, police say
State police at Rockview said Thursday that a Philipsburg man died following an hourslong standoff that began when troopers attempted to serve a search warrant on sex abuse charges.
The man died of what police described as self-inflicted injuries and was found dead when the state police Special Emergency Response Team entered the apartment, police wrote in a press release. Centre County Chief Deputy Coroner John D. Kubalak said an autopsy is scheduled for Saturday at Mount Nittany Medical Center.
Neither police nor the coroner’s office have released the man’s identity. A separate search warrant obtained Wednesday by the Centre Daily Times showed troopers were attempting to reach 54-year-old Ian M. Stephenson.
The standoff with dozens of law enforcement officers lasted more than 10 hours. Troopers said they arrived about 12:30 p.m. Wednesday to serve a warrant on Stephenson’s apartment along North Second Street.
He did not answer the door when troopers knocked and — when the landlord arrived shortly after — said “don’t come in I’m armed,” police wrote. He was facing a misdemeanor count of obstructing law enforcement.
Attempts to reach Stephenson on scene and through text messages, phone calls and Facebook messages were unsuccessful, according to a court document and negotiators at the apartment. Troopers said Stephenson told them he was “not coming out.”
Heavily-armored vehicles and a drone were deployed to assist troopers. As the standoff continued, police played a voicemail from Stephenson’s sister, deployed explosive devices that produce a blinding flash of light and a sudden, loud sound, broke his window and released chemical irritants into the apartment to pressure him out.
The incident drew a crowd of more than three dozen, including firefighters and children. Second Street residents watched from their porches and others stood outside a police perimeter with cellphones in hand.
East Presqueisle and Second streets reopened by 12:45 a.m. Thursday, Hope Fire Co. said in a Facebook post.
Reporter Trebor Maitin contributed to this report.
