Man in custody after 30-hour-long SWAT situation ends, CMPD says
A man is in custody after he triggered a 30-hour-long SWAT situation in Steele Creek, according to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.
Police said they were called to Griers Fork Drive around 6:45 a.m. Saturday. They were told a resident with a bullhorn was using profane language and threatening to kill his neighbors.
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When officers tried to take the man into custody, he refused to come out of his home, CMPD said. He was also seen holding a handgun inside the home, according to police.
Shortly after 5 p.m. Saturday, police said a SWAT officer fired one round from his rifle after he “perceived a lethal imminent threat.” The man in the home was not hit, according to police.
On Sunday at about 1:30 p.m., the suspect, who was in a mental health crisis, surrendered to CMPD SWAT and was taken in for mental health treatment.
“So many of the folks we come into contact with are experiencing some sort of mental health crisis and we know that,” CMPD Maj. Dave Johnson said.
Fed up neighbors
Neighbors told Channel 9′s Glenn Counts that they were frustrated with the situation because this is not the first time something like this has occurred.
Police said they have received calls about the home 46 times since 2017, including 17 times in the last year.
“We keep responding if the family is in crisis,” Johnson said. “We are going to respond if the neighbors are in crisis and they are perceiving a threat. We are going to respond. We are limited. We turn them over to the mental health professionals who evaluate them, get them stabilized.”
“He’s done things to make people feel uncomfortable,” neighbor Luka Blaza told Channel 9. “I mean he’s literally stood in front of the neighborhood with a baseball bat. He’s ridden down the street trying to evangelize people on his bicycle.”
George Crance said he’s lived in the area for seven years and the police have been called to the home at least half a dozen times.
“The gentleman got mental issues or whatever the case might be. He needs to have them addressed. He does have older parents in the house and they’re the ones I feel sorry for more than anything. I don’t know whether he is not getting the help he needs or lack of care I don’t know. He needs to be taken care of,” Crance said.
A reminder, the CMPD’s Community Policing Crisis Response Team is available 24/7 to respond to mental health-related calls for service. Officers are paired up with mental health clinicians who can provide help on scene and follow up with resources & treatment.
— CMPD News (@CMPD) March 13, 2023
Police said the standoff was one of the longest they have had in recent memory. They said although it was long and tiring, they are just thankful they got the man out of the home unharmed.
Police said the man involved already had an outstanding order for his arrest. They served him with involuntary commitment papers. CMPD told Counts he will be charged for making threats and pointing a gun at an officer.
The CMPD Homicide Unit is investigating if any potential underlying crimes may have led to the shooting.
(WATCH BELOW: SWAT situation ends in southwest Charlotte, CMPD says)
