Beanbag blasts subdue armed suspect

ROSWELL, N.M. (KRQE) - Roswell police used a beanbag gun to stop a man who threatened a woman with a pistol.

The standoff started Monday afternoon in the 700 block of South Lea.

Police say 35-year-old Lorenzo Castillo, 35, was waiting there when his ex-girlfriend returned to her home with her children.

Police say Castillo pointed a gun at the woman and tried to force her into a vehicle.  Instead she ran inside and called 911.

When police got there, Castillo was sitting on his car holding a gun and refusing to put it down.

An officer then shot Castillo four times with a beanbag gun and was able to get him in custody.

"If the officers had decided to use lethal force, it would have been justified due to the situation and how the man was holding the gun," said Sabrina Morales with the Roswell Police Department.  "It was kind of pointed towards officers."

Police say the gun Castillo had turned out to be a pellet gun.