By Steve Klamkin WPRO News
A North Attleboro man is being held after police said he held them at bay more than five hours Thursday morning, making threats from inside a car at a Rehoboth gas station.
No one but the suspect, identified as Benjamin Kimball, 38, was injured in the incident that snarled traffic and closed nearby businesses from about 6:30 A.M. to 11:30 A.M. at the busy intersection of Routes 44 and 118.
“He was making threats to the officers, he was in a very agitated state,” said Rehoboth Police Chief James Trombetta. He said Kimball walked into the Cumberland Farms gas station, shouted at two employees, who phoned police, shut off the gas pumps and evacuated the station.
“The place was all surrounded by police and SWAT teams,” said Bob Boler, who said he lived across Route 44 from the gas station for 40 years. “Some of the policemen had machine guns drawn.”
“I was surprised, yes,” Boler said.
A SWAT team and negotiators from the South Eastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council helped bring the incident to a close.
“Throughout the discussions, he stated that he had a gun, and also that he had a bomb in the vehicle,” said Trombetta.
Kimball brandished a gas pump, and threatened to blow up the gas station, sat in the passenger seat of his silver Saturn SUV, which was boxed in by two armored vehicles, Trombetta said.
At about 11:30 A.M., the situation came to a close with two muted blasts.
“Those were flash bangs that were employed by the SWAT team, a distraction grenade. And also they did deploy a beanbag shotgun as well in an attempt to take him down. He was ultimately taken down by the (police) dog,” Chief Trombetta said.
“He’s at Morton Hospital (in neighboring Taunton). He’ll be evaluated by the crisis team down there. I’m imagining there could be some mental health issues as well. That will be determined at Morton Hospital.”
He said charges against Kimball would be determined later. The the intersection and nearby businesses were reopened, but the Cumberland Farms gas station remained closed as investigators began poring over the scene.
