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Leaving only a couple of cops lets the bad guy - who cannot be relied upon to act rationally - think that maybe he can take them. You also have to calculate what the collateral damage zone would be from the bad guy (not to mention the good guys) and evacuate it. Will the population sit still for a one square mile evac zone for 24 hours or how ever long it takes to wait out the perp? By then, you'll have news helicopters. the media feeding frenzy, and potentially the perp's friends who, after having seen the standoff on TV, decide to come to the rescue.

More restraint was probably called for but we don't know the full set of circumstances. I'm thinking zapping the guy with a million candle power spotlight whould have disoriented him long enough to send in the dog and get him subdued. But that's easy for me to say.

I'll also make note that no matter how much range time the cops put in, it will be of marginal help when under live-fire conditions against someone able to shoot back. Don't know how that can be remedied.

I'm thinking zapping the guy with a million candle power spotlight whould have disoriented him long enough to send in the dog and get him subdued.

Great idea blinding him like that. I know how bad it was from those old flash bulbs on cameras and the spots they'd leave before my eyes. Plus it would give the cops a really, really good view of what's going on.

Good thought with the million candle power light.

Regarding him being a threat, failure to follow police instructions in this situation was an implied threat. I think the police were justified at any time during this 3 minutes of taking him out. Single .308 shot center body mass would have been fine though.