Deschutes County Sheriff's Office cruiser

Man arrested after 7-hour standoff with police in Sunriver

A standoff with an assault suspect in Sunriver on Thursday afternoon prompted authorities to send in a SWAT team and alert residents to shelter in place.

Alexander Eaton, 32, of Salem, was arrested after more than seven hours of negotiations with Sunriver Police and the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office on Thrush Lane in Sunriver.

Eaton faces charges of burglary, assault and trespassing, according to a press release from Katie Warren, administrative assistant to the police chief.

Police responded to the reported assault on Whistling Swan Lane in Sunriver at around 1:45 p.m. A suspect, who police identified as Eaton, struck a victim in the face, “causing significant injury,” the press release said.

Eaton is accused of threatening to kill the victim before fleeing into a nearby home, the press release said. The home was unoccupied.

After police arrived, Eaton “made statements to officers on-scene pertaining to firearms and reported possible dead people in the house,” the press release said.

The Deschutes County 911 emergency dispatch center sent out alerts at 2:39 p.m., telling area residents to shelter in place.

Police surrounded the house as a Deschutes County SWAT team headed to the location.

Police tried multiple times over seven hours to contact Eaton and reach a “peaceful resolution,” the press release said. They were unsuccessful.

At 8:52 p.m., a SWAT team stormed the house and arrested Eaton, the press release said. He was booked into the Deschutes County jail.