Joplin police standoff ends in the arrest of two suspects.

 

A traffic stop in Joplin Wednesday afternoon escalated into a standoff in a bank parking lot. Around 1pm, a police officer spotted 30-year-old Mark Trease of Carthage in the Lowe’s parking lot near 24th and Range Line Road. The officer recognized Trease as having multiple active warrants. When the officer tried to make contact, Trease fled and pulled into a parking lot of a nearby bank, where he and his passenger refused to exit the vehicle.

 

Police evacuated nearby bank customers and called in SWAT due to the passenger, identified as a 32-year-old from Webb City, being armed and refusing to cooperate in a crowded area. The standoff ended after SWAT used an armored vehicle to pin the pickup, allowing both men to be taken into custody.

 

Trease faces several charges, including resisting arrest and multiple warrants, while the passenger may face charges for resisting and for possession of a loaded 9mm handgun that was found in the vehicle.