(UPDATE, 2:45 p.m.) Several Great Falls schools were placed on temporary shelter-in-place status as police surrounded a home on the city’s southeast side.
Officers with the Great Falls Police Department say they were serving a high-risk search warrant tied to stolen property, and they called in the Central Montana High Risk Unit for extra safety.
Watch the video here:
Officers surrounded a home in the 3400 block of Fourth Avenue South after getting information about a large amount of stolen property possibly linked to recent thefts in the Great Falls area.
The Central Montana High Risk Unit was called in to secure the residence before officers conducted a search of the property.
Police say they took extra precautions because of safety concerns about individuals believed to be inside the residence.
As a precaution, several nearby schools were placed in shelter-in-place status while officers worked to secure the area.
Captain Doug Otto of the GFPD said, “The reason the High Risk Unit is here is because of the fact that we needed to make sure that the place was secure and safe for our investigators and the officers work in this case to go in and conduct a search warrant.”
Captain Otto says a few people inside were initially uncooperative, prompting officers to use distraction devices, often called “flash bangs,” to help bring the situation under control.
After about two hours, all individuals were safely removed from the home and the officers were able to search the property; names of the people involved have not been released.
The investigation into the reported stolen property continues.
(UPDATE, 11:05 a.m.) The GFPD says the incident is "winding down," and there were no reported injuries.
The shelter-in-place for the schools has been lifted.
Several officers will remain at the scene to continue the investigation.
(1st REPORT, 10:33 a.m.) Officers with the Great Falls Police Department are "working an incident" on the 3400 block of Fourth Avenue South on Wednesday, October 15, 2025.
The GFPD said just before 10:30 a.m. that the Central Montana High Risk Unit, which includes GFPD officers and Cascade County Sheriff's deputies, has been dispatched to the scene.
As a precaution, several schools in the vicinity have implemented shelter-in-place procedures: Lewis & Clark Elementary School, Chief Joseph Elementary School, East Middle school, and the Montana School for the Deaf & Blind.
"Shelter in place" is defined by GFPS as a safety precaution for an external threat that is not an immediate or internal threat.
Details about the incident have not yet been released.
We have a reporter heading to the area and will update you as we get more information.
