Norwich — A city officer who recognized a pellet gun from the sound it was making prevented an intense situation from getting worse, police said.

Police said Officer Matthew Seidel on Sunday went to a home where a woman reportedly was “out of control” and found the woman shooting a gun at a man. Police said Seidel recognized the discharge as that of a carbon dioxide pellet gun and used a Taser to get the woman to drop the gun.

A crew then took the woman to The William W. Backus Hospital for her own safety, police said.

Police commended Seidel for his handling of the incident.

“It is extremely difficult to determine by looking at the pellet gun that it is not a real firearm,” police wrote in a Facebook post. “On a daily basis, the men and women of the Norwich Police Department are put into situations where they must make split-second decisions. We are thankful that Officer Seidel was able to remedy this situation safely.”