Badlands standoff ends peacefully

A welfare check turned into a three hour slow-speed chase and standoff in the Badlands National Park. At about 3:00 pm, July 6, 2017, the son of William Bibb, 62, of McKinney, Texas, said his father was threatening suicide.

As Pennington County deputies and park rangers  entered a Badlands campground, Bibb drove away. He was pursued about nine miles at speeds of 30 to 40 mile per hours. Bibb finally pulled over at a scenic overlook. A Pennington County Deputy and National Badlands Park Ranger attempted a felony stop when she noticed the suspect sitting in his car holding a gun to his head.

Suddenly Bibb started driving again. After about three miles Bibb pulled into the parking lot at the Pinnacles Overlook. Bibb exited his car still holding the gun to his head walking toward the main scenic viewing area in the Badlands. Bibb never threatened anyone but himself. The area was crowded with dozens of people. Law enforcement quickly cleared the tourists and secured the area.

After about 30 minutes of negotiating, Bibb dropped the gun to his lap. Eventually he was detained and put on a mental hold at Rapid City Regional West.  No one was injured. A loaded 357 Ruger was taken into evidence. This is still under investigation with possible criminal charges.

In addition to Pennington County Sheriff’s deputies, other agencies assisted in the incident: Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, Badlands National Parks Service, South Dakota Highway Patrol and South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks.