Westfield man indicted on 14 counts after overnight standoff with police
A Westfield man has been indicted on 14 charges after he was involved in an overnight standoff with police in July.
Michael P. Ward, 41, was indicted by a Union County grand jury on charges of aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of a child, terroristic threats, obstruction, unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of weapon for an unlawful purpose and resisting arrest, according to the Union County Prosecutor's Office.
Ward was arrested after a nearly 14-hour standoff with police at a rental home on The Boulevard that started on July 5 and ended on July 6.
At about 3:39 p.m. July 5, Westfield police officers responded to a 911 call from Ward's residence for a reported dispute.
When they arrived, officers were met at the front door by Ward, who was brandishing a large kitchen knife, the prosecutor's office said.
Ward refused to comply with the officers’ demands to drop the knife and went back inside the residence, according to the prosecutor’s office. After the other people inside the home then got outside, Ward barricaded himself inside, the prosecutor's office said.
Officers secured the area around the home, and the Union County Emergency Response Team – consisting of hostage negotiators and the SWAT Team – responded to the scene. Negotiations started with Ward for hours on and off, but he was unable to be convinced to voluntarily leave the home, the prosecutor's office said.
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The standoff ended at approximately 5:31 a.m. when SWAT made entry into the residence and took Ward into custody.
“I want to commend the brave officers of the Westfield Police Department and the Union CountyEmergency Response Team for their swift and professional response to this dangerous situation,” Prosecutor William A. Daniel said in a statement. “Their actions prevented a tragedy.”Ward was being held in the Union County Jail pending trial.
Email: mdeak@mycentraljersey.com
Mike Deak is a reporter for mycentraljersey.com. To get unlimited access to his articles on Somerset and Hunterdon counties, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Westfield NJ man indicted after overnight standoff with police
