Central Falls police respond to hours-long standoff, double shooting on Monday night
CENTRAL FALLS — Two separate felony incidents kept police busy Monday evening in this normally fairly quiet city.
First, a reported hostage situation turned into an hours-long standoff on Tremont Street. Then, while that was going on, two people were shot at a popular basketball court at one of the city's sports complexes.
Standoff situation in Central Falls
The police received a 911 call for a woman being held against her will at 106 Tremont St. As officers began to arrive at that location, they were met by three women fleeing the house.
One woman, who identified herself as the girlfriend of a man living in the house, said that he had held her against her will, refused to let her use her telephone and sexually assaulted her.
The woman, whom police did not identify, told officers that the man threatened to hurt himself or the police if they tried to enter the house, and that he said he was not going back to jail.
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The man, Michael Mogayzel, 34, had a record of firearms violations, domestic violence and disorderly conduct, but had never spent substantial time in jail, according to Major Christopher Reed during a press conference Tuesday. The woman in Monday's incident was not the victim in the previous domestic charges against Mogayzel, Reed said.
Assisted by the state police, officers negotiated with Mogayzel — at times with him hanging out a window and yelling to officers — until about 10:45 p.m., when he surrendered peacefully.
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He was arraigned Tuesday morning in District Court, Providence, on charges of kidnapping, first-degree sexual assault, simple assault, refusing to relinquish a phone, disorderly conduct and obstructing police.
His release status was not immediately available.
The other two women fleeing the house were squatters in a second-floor apartment and not victims of any of the crimes with which Mogayzel was charged, the police said.
Shootings at a Central Falls basketball court
The shootings happened at about 7:20 p.m. at the basketball courts at the Corrigan sports complex on Higginson Avenue.
Two people – and adult man and a male minor, both of whom police declined to identify – suffered non-life-threatening injuries when one was shot in the leg and the other in the shoulder. One was taken to Rhode Island Hospital and the other to Hasbro Children's Hospital, according to Capt. Craig M. Viens.
The suspect and the victims knew each other, but the police would not disclose what precipitated the attack. The victims are not cooperating with the investigation.
The basketball court was not busy Monday evening, and no one else was injured.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Central Falls police handle double shooting, standoff Monday night
