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Photo by Johnny Wagner

FAIRBANKS -- A North Pole man believed to have pointed a gun at an officer two months ago before fleeing on an ATV was arrested Thursday evening after a four-hour standoff with law enforcement.

Robert Tyrone Gentleman III, 29, surrendered around 6:30 p.m. after several hours of talks with Fairbanks police and his family members.

Gentleman, whom authorities had previously described as "armed and dangerous," was taken into custody on several outstanding warrants.

Dozens of police, Alaska State Troopers and Volunteers in Policing officers surrounded a home on Baranof Avenue, evacuating residents in the immediate area and locking down Ladd Elementary and Tanana Middle schools at the end of the school day.

Bill Bailey, a spokesman for the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District, said children at the schools were not in danger and the lockdown was for precautionary reasons.

Gary Falls, who lives across from where Gentleman was arrested, said he was relieved to pick up his son Justin from Tanana Middle School.

However, he was less pleased to see police and spike strips at either end of Baranof, blocking his way home.

"I'm going to go to Geraldo's and have the best pizza I've ever had,"he said before getting in his vehicle and turning around. "And a glass of beer."

Gentleman had previously been charged with robbery, assault on a police officer and felony weapons misconduct in connection with an incident that occurred Aug. 9.

University of Alaska Fairbanks police tried to pull Gentleman over after seeing him speeding on the ATV on Hess Avenue. Gentleman took off and was seen reaching speeds of 70 mph on Geist Road soon after.

When his ATV stalled, he attempted to flee on foot and was Tasered. Gentleman allegedly pulled out a semi-automatic handgun and pointed it at the officer and threatened him, then attempted to carjack a vehicle, banging on it several times in an effort to get the driver to open the door, according to a criminal complaint filed in court.

Gentleman then got back on his four-wheeler and was able to avoid police, despite an extensive search in the hours after the incident.

Authorities began to suspect Gentleman's involvement in the case after coming into contact with him recently while investigating other cases.

North Pole police attempted to stop Gentleman for speeding Sept. 20 on the Richardson Highway, but after a brief pursuit, he was able evade them on foot, according to court records. A handgun and bags of cocaine, marijuana and methamphetamine were found in the vehicle and Gentleman had abandoned.

Fairbanks Police Chief Dan Hoffman said the department's drug task force unit had had the residence under surveillance for some time, but decided to make their move Thursday when it appeared that a child was going to be brought into the residence.

"Circumstances evolved over concerns for the child," he said.

Hoffman would not say if drugs were found in the home.

Gentleman does not currently face any additional charges in connection with Thursday's incident.

Authorities were especially cautious in apprehending Gentleman because of his history of evading law enforcement.

In September 2004, Alaska State Troopers tried to stop him on Badger Road. He fled on foot but was apprehended with the assistance of a police dog, who was injured in the process. Gentleman later pleaded no contest to driving with a suspended license and to second-degree harming of a police dog and was sentenced to six months in jail with most of that time suspended.

In 2005, he was charged with felony escape for walking away from the Fairbanks Northstar Center.

Last year, troopers spent two weeks looking for Gentleman after he left Fairbanks Memorial Hospital undetected following a car accident in which alcohol may have been a factor. Troopers believed Gentleman was responsible for a crash that left a 17-year-old girl in the Intensive Care Unit with serious injuries.