SWAT, deputies arrest Battle Lake man after firearm incident

A Battle Lake trailer park drew a SWAT response Friday after deputies said Clinton Hunnicut Jr., 67, recklessly discharged a firearm and was taken into custody at the scene.

The Otter Tail County Sheriff’s Office, Battle Lake Police Department and Henning Police Department were dispatched at about 4:38 p.m. on Friday, April 17, 2026, to the mobile home park. As the situation developed, the Otter Tail County SWAT team was called in to help with the arrest.

Authorities identified the man taken into custody as Clinton Hunnicut Jr., who lives in Battle Lake. He was being held pending a possible charge of dangerous weapons, specifically reckless discharge of a firearm. Later reports said Hunnicut faced four charges, including reckless discharge of a firearm and assault of a public safety dog.

Deputies said there was no ongoing danger to the public after the arrest. The heavy law-enforcement presence underscored how quickly a firearms call in a small residential park can escalate into a countywide operation involving patrol officers, deputies and tactical responders.

Minnesota law gives the case serious weight. Minnesota Statutes section 609.66 makes it a felony to recklessly discharge a firearm within a municipality, a statute that helps explain why the response in Battle Lake moved beyond a routine police call. In this case, officers did not treat the incident as a simple disturbance; they brought in specialized support and took Hunnicut into custody at the trailer park.

The arrest placed a familiar name and a specific neighborhood at the center of a public-safety response that unfolded in the late afternoon, with local police and county deputies working side by side until the scene was secure.