By Mason Edwards
Chattanooga Times Free Press
BRADLEY COUNTY, Tenn. 鈥� A man fired shots at law enforcement drones during a mental health crisis Monday before surrendering, according to the Bradley County Sheriff鈥檚 Office .
Deputies were called to a home in northeast Bradley County near Urbane Road to help paramedics and firefighters after a medical call escalated into a combative encounter, according to a press release. The first responders evacuated the home, and officers searched the nearby neighborhood for the man involved.
When the man returned home, a Bradley County Sheriff鈥檚 Office drone dropped a cell phone so negotiators could speak to him. During the talks, Possien fired at the deputies鈥� drone and a Cleveland Police Department drone being used to help, officials said.
The drones weren鈥檛 damaged, according to Lt. Robert Jones, assistant director for communications for the Bradley County Sheriff鈥檚 Office. A spokesperson for the Cleveland Police Department did not immediately answer an after-hours email asking about the incident.
Possien surrendered and was taken to the hospital for treatment. He now faces charges of felony reckless endangerment, vandalism for damage to an EMS cot and two counts of assault on a first responder, officials said. He is currently held at the county jail with no bond.
The Bradley County Sheriff鈥檚 Office has operated a drone team since 2016, Jones said by email, and it currently flies Autel Evo Max series drones, which are used for search and rescue, suspect apprehension, locating lost or missing people, assessing natural disasters and a wide range of other missions.
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