After a volatile standoff lasting throughout the day, police used armored vehicles and tear gas to bring a Richmond County man into custody Thursday evening.

No injuries resulted from the dispute near Viola — a small rural community about 70 miles from Madison — in which shots were exchanged on multiple occasions.

Authorities described the man in custody, 61-year-old Robert Bayliss, as “a person who had very strong anti-government attitudes and beliefs.”

The conflict began Monday afternoon when four officers attempted to deliver a lawsuit to evict Bayliss from his home and 18 acres of land for his failure to pay taxes back to 2001, according to Richland County counsel Benjamin Southwick.

The officers took rifle fire and quickly retreated.

They returned Thursday with an armored vehicle and SWAT personnel from the surrounding communities, again taking fire and retreating, according to a statement from the Richmond County Sheriff’s Department.

Officers spent much of the day attempting to speak with Bayliss via bullhorn, as he had no telephone, according to sheriff’s Lt. Bob Frank.

Finally, they approached the house again, exchanging fire once more. Police deployed tear gas, and Bayliss surrendered. During the course of the dispute, a fire broke out.

According to Darin Gudgeon, emergency management director for Richland County, the cause of that fire is still under investigation, and it had been contained Thursday night.

Bayliss faces a charge of intentionally pointing a firearm at a law enforcement officer, and Frank said other charges could be filed. He said he did not know whether Bayliss had a lawyer.

According to the county treasurer’s office, Bayliss owes $5,647 in delinquent taxes and interest on the land and has not paid the taxes for seven years.

Bayliss was known in the community as “a person who had very strong anti-government attitudes and beliefs” and who would carry a rifle and show it, Southwick said.

— The Associated Press contributed to this report.