Deputies track down a stolen car with a child inside. Hours later, it turned into a high-stakes standoff with a shotgun-wielding suspect

A stolen vehicle investigation took a dangerous turn after deputies located a suspect who had allegedly taken off in the car with a child still inside. The search eventually brought deputies to a home in La Grange, North Carolina, where the situation escalated into an armed standoff.

What started as a search for the stolen vehicle quickly became a much more serious confrontation. Deputies say the suspect barricaded himself inside the home and was armed with a shotgun that had allegedly been taken from a neighboring residence.

Per WCTI, Lenoir County deputies were alerted after the Jones County Sheriff’s Office reported the stolen vehicle and child. Investigators later identified the suspect as Austin Riggs.

The situation got much more serious once deputies reached the home

Deputies went to a residence in La Grange and found Riggs already barricaded inside. Authorities then determined that he had allegedly entered a neighboring home and taken a shotgun from the residence. Riggs eventually came onto the porch while holding the firearm. He then returned inside as deputies continued ordering him to surrender.

The standoff left deputies dealing with an armed suspect who had barricaded himself inside a residence. The situation was eventually brought under control without any reported injuries.

Riggs surrendered to deputies and was taken into custody without incident. The child was safely recovered and reunited with their grandmother. No injuries were reported in connection with the standoff. Deputies from both counties were involved in the response.

Jones County deputies arrived to take possession of the stolen vehicle. The vehicle was then set to be returned to its owner.

WITN reported that warrants allege Riggs is the child’s father. The warrants also state that he was not permitted to be with the child without supervision. Court records indicated in the report says that Riggs had been released from jail shortly before the incident.

Riggs faces several charges stemming from the incident. Lenoir County charges include breaking and entering, larceny of a firearm and second-degree arson. Jones County charges include larceny of a motor vehicle and child abuse. The case involves separate allegations in the two counties.

Riggs was taken to the Lenoir County Jail and held under a $60,000 bond. Authorities did not provide additional details about the circumstances behind every charge. The Lenoir County Sheriff’s Office credited cooperation between deputies from Lenoir and Jones counties with helping bring the situation to an end.