FIRTH, Idaho (KIFI/KIDK) - A deputy is in an Idaho Falls hospital and a suspect is in custody after shots were fired in Firth Friday night.
According to authorities, Shortly after 7p.m., Bingham County Sheriff's Deputies in the Firth area came in contact with 22-year-old Juan Santos-Quintero, who was wanted in connection to a string of armed robbery incidents in the Idaho Falls area. During this contact, shots were fired and a Bingham County Deputy was shot near A.W Johnson Elementary School.
Police have not said what led to shots being fired.
The sheriff's office identified the injured deputy as Deputy Sergeant Todd Howell.
Howell was hit on the left side as the bullet penetrated his body armor. He was able to return fire, along with two other Bingham County deputies. Sheriff Craig Rowland said Howell was in stable condition at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center .
According to reports from the scene, Quintero became barricaded in a home close to the school on the east side of Firth.
A perimeter was set up around the residence where Quintero was held up. SWAT Teams and Law Enforcement from the Eastern Idaho area were sent to the location to assist.
Police say negotiations between Quintero and Law Enforcement ensued and he was ultimately taken into custody and the area was made safe.
During this pursuit and standoff, there was panic at a nearby soccer match.
Several viewers contacted Local News 8 to say they heard the gunshots at the nearby soccer game. There was panic on the field as parents and players ran to nearby houses to escape. They did not know where the gunshots were coming from.
Parent Alicia Hatton says, "As we watched the game we suddenly heard multiple gunshots, and at first thought they were fireworks. Then a police officer pulled up in the street next to the field. He jumped out of his car with his gun, hid behind his car door with his gun pointed, and amid more gunfire, started yelling at us to RUN! RUN! RUN! At first we were confused and terrified and didn’t know where or which way to run. There were people diving over their children to protect them, running, screaming, crying, carrying people who couldn't walk, running across the soccer field for cover, parents crying out for their children that they could not locate. We were terrified, not knowing where the shots were coming from! For all we knew the shooter was right at the soccer field. We feared for our lives! We ran into people’s homes that were behind the field."
Several agencies from around the area are assisting the Bingham County Sheriff's Office in their investigation.
Earlier on Friday, the Idaho Falls Police Department notified the media and public to be on the lookout for Quintero. He was considered armed and dangerous.
Nampa Police tweeted the department's support for the injured deputy Saturday.
