Man arrested after 11-hour standoff

RIVERTON (WNE) — Riverton Police Department officers attempted to execute an arrest warrant on Wednesday but instead found themselves part of an 11-hour standoff with an armed subject barricaded in a home on the city’s north end, according to an RPD statement.

Officers eventually took the subject, Ronald Allington, 62, into custody after deploying tear gas into the home, the statement explained.

But the resolution came after hours of a tense standoff that included evacuation of area residents nearly all night long.

According to the RPD, officers went to the Pinecrest Street home late Wednesday afternoon, attempting to serve an arrest warrant on Allington. Allington had allegedly threatened to “shoot up” SageWest Hospital several months ago, then failed to appear at a court hearing.

“When officers went to Allington’s home he produced a large knife and handgun,” the RPD wrote of the incident. “He then barricaded himself in a room and refused to surrender.”

More than 30 officers from five law enforcement agencies assisted, including members of the Fremont County DUI Task Force, who were already operating in Riverton that night.

The Natrona County Sheriff’s Office’s Special Response and Crisis Negotiations teams also assisted.

At just before 4 a.m., Allington was taken into custody. He was arrested on a felony warrant and a probation violation from a prior drug-related case. He also faces several other charges related to the standoff.

This story was published on April 19, 2025.