Salem Standoff Ends with Arrest of Armed Man After Two-Hour Negotiation

Officers from the Salem Police Department responding to a report received at about 7.30 p.m. on February 14 of an armed man standing in the street in the 1500 block of Ruge ST NW yelling and brandishing a handgun arrested 55-year-old Mark Arthur Coutis of Salem after a brief standoff.

Coutis fled before the police arrived, but officers contacted him soon after. He refused to exit, but after almost two hours of negotiations with a trained crisis negotiator, Coutis surrendered. Officers seized six firearms from Coutis’ residence.

Coutis was arrested and is currently lodged at the Polk County Jail on charges of stalking, menacing, and unlawful use of a weapon, as well as two outstanding warrants in other unrelated cases.

Police indicated that further inquiries into the case must be directed to the Polk County District Attorney’s Office.