WALDOBORO, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- Maine State Police say a fugitive has been arrested after a SWAT team standoff in Waldoboro Friday morning.
Brian Bennett was taken into custody at approximately 7:30am. Police confirm he is the suspect they've been searching for since September 2016, when he escaped through a hole in his home.
Police say as a safety precaution, Waldoroboro Elementary school is closed Friday.
State and local police had Bennett's house surrounded with their guns drawn but they confirm no shots were ever fired. The gunshots heard at the scene before 5 a.m. were tear gas canisters, according to police. No one was injured during this standoff situation.
Bennett's family members watched the whole situation unfold outside the surrounded home. They were the first to tell NEWSCENTERnow that Brian Bennett was the suspect police wanted.
The suspects brother, Lee Bennett says police are everywhere with guns drawn, "I don't think my brother is armed or dangerous." Bennett's cousin said, "he should turn himself in."
#NEWSCENTERnow will continue to update this story.