Man arrested, child dead after lengthy SWAT operation in Elkhart County

ELKHART COUNTY, Ind. – A man was arrested after a lengthy standoff with police in Elkhart County.

According to a press release, officers with the Elkhart County Sheriff’s Office were called to the 57000 block of Pendleton Drive to conduct a welfare check at approximately 9:06 p.m. Saturday. The people police were asked to check were an adult male and his two children.

Officers were unable to make contact with the man at the scene, but police later confirmed that he was in the apartment they had been dispatched to.

Police reported that the man was armed during the incident and made threats to harm his children and police.

The Elkhart County Regional Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team arrived at the scene around 12:09 a.m. Sunday. The SWAT team secured the area upon arrival and again attempted to make contact with the man.

Police said the man repeatedly refused to leave the house and eventually fired a gun and barricaded himself deeper inside the house.

Local law enforcement later requested assistance from the Indiana State Police Emergency Response Team. ISP reported that its team took control of the scene Sunday morning.

After repeated attempts to contact the man were unsuccessful, police forced their way into the home and arrested the man. The suspect was later identified as 37-year-old Ryan Snyder.

When state police entered the house, they found a dead two-year-old boy inside.

Another young girl was found in the house. She was treated on site and then handed over to a family member.

According to ISP, Snyder was transported to a local hospital for evaluation following the incident and was then booked into the Elkhart County Jail.

According to ISP, the Elkhart County District Attorney’s Office will review the case and make a final decision on whether to charge Snyder.

In total, the conflict lasted more than 18 hours, according to state police. No further information about the conflict was available at the time of publication of this article.