Pittsfield man sentenced to 5 years in prison for threatening police with crossbow

A Pittsfield man was found guilty of threatening law enforcement with a crossbow after barricading himself in a trailer back in March.

CHESHIRE, Mass. (WWLP) -- A Pittsfield man was found guilty of threatening law enforcement with a crossbow after barricading himself in a trailer back in March.

Berkshire District Attorney Spokesperson Andrew McKeever said a judge found Timothy Tatro, 40, guilty of assault with a dangerous weapon and violating an abuse prevention order. Tatro was sentenced to serve five years in prison.

State Police were called by Cheshire Police around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 23 to assist them with a restraining order against a man at the Pine Valley Trailer Park on 4th Avenue in Cheshire. Tatro was asked to immediately leave the trailer park.

When police approached the trailer, Tatro pointed a crossbow at a state trooper. Officers immediately began to create a perimeter around the trailer and evacuated surrounding residents. The State Police STOP team took command of the area and began negotiations with him.

Negotiators spent all night attempting to talk to Tatro to get him to surrender peacefully. Around 1:45 a.m. Thursday, after six hours of no response, state troopers along with K-9 Frankie made entry into the trailer, and Tatro was taken into custody without injury or incident.

“I thank the Cheshire Police and the Massachusetts State Police for safely bringing Mr. Tatro into custody. Domestic violence responses, in particular, present a significant threat to officer safety, and law enforcement handled this situation professionally and ensured everyone’s safety,” said District Attorney Andrea Harrington.