RUTLAND, Vt. -
Police in Rutland doused a motel room with pepper spray after a patron refused to pay the manager.
The manager of the Rodeway Inn called police Monday afternoon because the man inside the room refused to vacate, despite being delinquent on the room rent. There was a large police response because the man claimed he had a gun.
Police surrounded the motel, broke the back window and filled the room with pepper spray. They then knocked down the front door and took custody of the man, who was hiding in the bathroom.
"He locked the door, and he took, we believe it was the dresser, and placed it against the door so that entry into the room was not as easy as it should have been," said Rutland City Police Sgt. John Sly.
Police have not yet released the man's name and are unsure if he had a firearm. The room was not safe to enter because of the pepper spray.
