Christopher R. Coelho

A suicidal man surrendered without incident to law enforcement officials Thursday morning after a two-hour standoff near Gresham Lane in Murfreesboro.

Officials with the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office spent two hours negotiating with Christopher R. Coelho, who had barricaded himself inside a residence, before he was eventually taken into custody.

Coelho, 42, of High Meadow Drive, was taken into custody by members of the Felony Arrest Search Tactical team about 7:45 a.m., said Commander Sgt. Chris Kauffman, who leads the specialized team for the Sheriff's Office.

At the time of the incident, Coelho was wanted on a violation of probation warrant in Cannon County.

Patrol deputies responded about 5:30 a.m. to the apartment after learning Coelho, who had been drinking heavily since Wednesday morning, threatened suicide and talked to his mother about suicide.

He was believed to be armed with a semi-automatic pistol, Kauffman said.

Deputies attempted to communicate with him through a loud speaker and his cell phone, but he failed to respond.

“We considered him barricaded,” Kauffman said.

FAST Team members, crisis negotiators and tactical dispatch responded to the scene with the Rutherford County Emergency Management Agency’s Special Operations Response Team’s Mobile Command Unit. As the team assembled, a negotiator contacted Coelho on his cell phone. After repeated commands to surrender, he was taken into custody.

“When we made contact with him, he was extremely intoxicated,” Kauffman said.

Paramedics with the FAST Team treated Coelho for injuries to his arm before paramedics and deputies escorted him to Middle Tennessee Medical Center in Murfreesboro.

Once he is released from the hospital, Coelho will be booked into Rutherford County Adult Detention Center where he will be held on the Cannon County charges.

He does not face any charges from Thursday’s standoff.

FAST Team members reportedly found a 22-caliber semi-automatic rifle and two large survival knives in Coelho’s apartment.

Coelho’s criminal history in Rutherford County includes charges of aggravated assault in 2001, as well as charges of driving under the influence, evading arrest and aggravated assault in 2006.