MANCELONA, MI – On Thursday, Michigan State Police were involved in a standoff with a man who threw hot coffee in the face of a Petoskey Public Safety officer.
Hillsdale man facing several felony charges after a lengthy standoff in Mancelona. pic.twitter.com/GTgJF101GI
— @MSPNorthernMI (@mspnorthernmi) August 28, 2020
According to Petoskey Department of Public Safety Director Matthew Breed, the incident began shortly before 8:30 a.m. when an officer was responding to a driving complaint.
The Detroit Free Press reported that 911 dispatchers had broadcast a “be on the lookout” advisory for a pickup truck that was driving erratically.
Breed said that an officer located a vehicle that matched the description of the pickup truck parked at the BP gas station on Spring Street, just south of U.S. 131. The officer proceeded to pull into the gas station to make contact with the driver.
The officer reported that the driver was being uncooperative and acted as if he was about to drive away. As the man attempted to drive away, the officer told him that he was not free to leave yet.
Breed said that when the officer reached into the truck to try and turn off the vehicle, the driver threw the hot coffee he just purchased at the gas station into the officer’s face and then sped away.
The Petoskey Public Safety Officer was responding to a complaint of a man swerving at another vehicle. Details are still vague, but allegedly the suspect threw hot coffee on the officer and fled the scene.
— @MSPNorthernMI (@mspnorthernmi) August 27, 2020
According to reports, around the same time as the driver was speeding away, a second officer was arriving on scene and saw the suspect vehicle leaving the gas station.
As the vehicle was leaving, the second officer noticed that there was a child in the vehicle.
A Police stand-off is currently happening in Mancelona with a man who assaulted a Petoskey Public Safety Office, a chase would led to Antrim County. US-131 is closed between Elder Road and Leonard Road. If you are in the area, you are asked to proceed with caution. @upnorthlive pic.twitter.com/9WozpvWUzc
— Cole Martens (@ColeMartensNews) August 27, 2020
Breed said that both officers pursued the suspect vehicle south on U.S. 131 at “moderate” speeds. Petoskey officers called off the chase shortly after entering Charlevoix County, noting that the officers believed they had a good idea of the suspect’s identity.
The officer who was hit with hot coffee in his face was taken to McLaren Northern Michigan Hospital for evaluation. He was treated for first-degree burns on his face. He has since been released.
Breed said that a short time after the police called off the pursuit, a Michigan State Police trooper spotted the same suspect pickup truck on U.S. 131 and followed it.
Around 10:30 a.m., the Michigan State Police announced that they were in a standoff with the driver near Mancelona.
Police are at a standoff in Mancelona with a man who assaulted a Petoskey Public Safety Officer and lead officers on a chase to Antrim County. The officer is being treated at a local hospital. pic.twitter.com/htG0xdKn4o
— @MSPNorthernMI (@mspnorthernmi) August 27, 2020
In a follow-up social media post, state police officials said:
“The suspect has several children in the vehicle with him and is not communicating with police. He is calling news outlets.”
A news release said that the Michigan State Police Emergency Support Team and the Michigan State Police Bomb Squad responded to the scene. The suspect refused to surrender after speaking with the state police negotiator.
The Emergency Support Team was able to safely extract the suspect from the vehicle as well as rescue the four children. The children were unharmed.
Four children have been safely removed from the vehicle pic.twitter.com/VnQ8ewsNYh
— @MSPNorthernMI (@mspnorthernmi) August 27, 2020
The suspect was arrested. Upon his arrest, officers found a 9mm handgun, a.357 revolver, an over-under .22/.410 rifle shotgun combination, and a disassembled 9mm inside the rear capped area of the truck. According to officers, this area of the truck was accessible to the children via a horizontal sliding window.
The suspect has been identified as a 42-year-old man from Hillsdale. He was transported and booked into the Antrim County Jail. He is awaiting arraignment. For some reason, his name isn’t being released until he’s officially arraigned.
According to the release, he is being charged with resisting and obstructing police, flee and elude, felony firearms, and carrying a concealed weapon.
The suspect will face additional charges in Emmet County for the assault of a police officer.
Here is another article from Law Enforcement Today about a standoff with the police:
Reno, TX — A sheriff”s deputy and a police officer were shot while responding to a domestic disturbance call on July 9.
The shooting occurred at 6:12 p.m. while officers were responding to a call in the 800 block of Harris in Reno. The call was placed by a mother who said her son had a gun and was threatening to shoot people.
Officers were shot at as they arrived at the residence of suspect Lain Christian. A sheriff’s deputy was shot multiple times and an officer was shot once in the arm.
The deputy was transported to JPS Hospital in Fort Worth. The officer was taken to Azle Hospital. Both have since been released and are expected to make a full recovery.
Parker County Sheriff Larry Fowler said in a statement:
“We are grateful our deputy is doing well. We expect him to make a full recovery and we anticipate his return to our team.”
A third officer narrowly missed being shot when a bullet hit his stun gun holster and absorbed the impact.
Reno Police Chief Tony Simmons told NBC5:
“What goes through your mind when you hear that one of your officers has been shot? It’s, you work with these guys day in and day out. Of course, you’re going to respond as quickly as you can, and hope everything is okay.
“We got lucky this time. The world is a dangerous place. This could have turned out a lot different for those officers if things had been just a slight bit different.”
Christian barricaded himself inside the house once police arrived. A seven-hour standoff ensued between Christian and officers from the Reno Police Department, Springtown Police Department, and the Parker County Sheriff’s Office.
The standoff ended at approximately 1:40 a.m. when a fire was started inside the home. Authorities have not yet identified the cause of the fire.
***HAPPENING NOW***
Fort Worth PD, Reno PD, State Troopers, Parker County Sheriff and the FBI are in Reno off Miller and Cardinal trying to get a barricaded suspect to exit a home.
Officers in Reno were called there for a domestic dispute earlier this evening and… pic.twitter.com/z8QrpJsHdF
— Matt Howerton (@HowertonNews) July 10, 2020
Christian’s mother, who placed the 911 call, escaped through a window and received treatment at a local hospital for leg lacerations.
Christian also shot his teen sister, Sierra Christian, to death in the house. The burned body of the 17-year-old girl was found as detectives went through the house Friday morning.
Christian was found dead with self-inflicted gunshot wounds in the bushes near the home.
Chief Simmons said in a news conference on Friday:
“This was a tragedy. Crime happens everywhere. We never expected this in Reno.”
After the news conference, Simmons said:
“With everything going on in the world if people realized these officers are protecting you, they don’t have to do this. It was disturbing, to say the least, the officers stood up, did their jobs and protected the public.”
Officials report that the Texas Rangers have now taken over the investigation. Information regarding the story is still emerging.
As Law Enforcement Today reported, another officer was injured in the line of duty in Texas in July after having fireworks shot at him:
AMARILLO, TX – An Amarillo Police officer was reportedly injured while responding to a call regarding possible juveniles setting off fireworks on July 4 at a local park.
According to a post on the department’s official Facebook page, the officer was injured when someone shot fireworks at him.
The unidentified officer was said to have been called out to Hamlet Park at approximately 10:12 p.m. on July 4. When the officer arrived on the scene, someone reportedly shot a mortar shell directly into his cruiser through his driver’s side window.
The launched firework exploded inside the cruiser, causing injuries to the officer’s upper and lower body while also damaging the inside of the cruiser.
From the incident described by the APD’s post, other officers were dispatched but were unable to find the suspect(s) responsible:
“Other officers responded but could not locate the suspect due to the large number of fireworks being shot at them by the crowd. The injured officer was transported to a local area hospital.”
The officer is expected to survive.
Police said that numerous people were present during the attack on the officer, filming elements of the incident.
Police are now asking for the public’s assistance in locating whoever may be responsible for the assault upon the officer:
“Anyone who might know the identity of the suspect/suspects, call the Criminal Investigation Division at 378-4258 or 378-9468. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous can call Amarillo Crime Stoppers at 374-4400.”
The APD noted that tips can also be sent anonymously online by way of their website, which is at www.amapolice.org.
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