KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — East Tennessee authorities arrested a man after shooting at U.S. Marshals and other task force officers with a realistic-looking pellet gun.
Mark Sullivan already had outstanding arrest warrants for probation violations and aggravated stalking out of Knox County, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.
The U.S. Department of Justice said Sullivan tried to escape from officers with the Smoky Mountain Fugitive Task Force who were serving the warrants by shooting at them with an airsoft rifle. Officers used a taser to subdue him.
Sullivan was arrested and charged in Hamblen County with nine counts of assault on law enforcement officers as a result of the incident, officials said.
“The officers showed great restraint in making the arrest. The subject was armed with several airsoft pistols and rifles that look identical to real firearms," David G. Jolley, U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of Tennessee, said. "Some had the orange tips and some did not. Even with the orange tips, it is extremely difficult to make such a split-second determination if the weapon is real or not. I am amazed this did not result in an officer-involved shooting and I give tremendous credit to the officers for their amazing discernment in that situation.”