Riverhead man arrested after riding ATV with shotgun, cops say

A Riverhead man who was seen riding around Route 25A on an all-terrain vehicle while wielding a shotgun was arrested after a standoff late Friday, police said.

A witness called Riverhead Town police at about 11:30 p.m. and reported seeing a man driving a “quad” near the Riverhead Elks Lodge on East Main Street who “was in possession of and brandishing a shotgun,” police said in a news release.

As police arrived at the scene, several witnesses said they knew the man and that he had fled the area, possibly in an attempt to get back to his home on Fanning Street, police said.

The man, identified by police as Paul T. Jackson, 47, of Fanning Street, hopped off the vehicle on his street and ran toward his home, when officers demanded he drop the firearm. Jackson refused and ran into his house, police said.

Several police officers, including State Police units from Riverside, responded and were able to get Jackson to surrender a short time later, police said.

Jackson was arrested and charged with second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, among other crimes, police said. He was taken to the Riverhead Police Department, where he was held until his arraignment, scheduled for Saturday morning at the Riverhead Town Justice Court, police said.

Jackson has requested a Legal Aid attorney, police said.

The shotgun was recovered from the home and the ATV was impounded, police said.

Attorney information for Jackson was not immediately available.