By: Taylor Christensen | Royal Oak Review | Published March 26, 2024
ROYAL OAK — Royal Oak police have a 46-year-old man in custody following a domestic assault report and three-hour standoff that began at 4:55 p.m. March 25 in the 1600 block of Whitcomb Avenue, in the area of North Campbell and East 14 Mile roads.
The man’s wife and two children were in the home at the time, police said. A family member had reported being assaulted, according to the Royal Oak Police Department’s press release about the incident.
Lt. Rich Millard, of the Royal Oak Police Department, said the situation escalated quickly upon the arrival of the officers.
“He was outside with the other family member. When officers went to talk to him, he ran inside,” Millard said. “It just became a waiting game.”
The man reportedly barricaded himself, his wife and two children inside the home. According to the press release, “Officers attempted to talk to the male, who was showing signs of experiencing a mental health crisis and refused to come out of the home.”
The Oakland County SWAT team was called to the scene, arriving around an hour after the incident began, as well as Troy Police Department negotiators, who arrived at around 6:30 p.m., according to Millard.
“The male had recently purchased long guns and was wearing a bulletproof vest and had been displaying behaviors that indicated declines in his mental health,” Millard said. “Those are all of the reasons for us to rely on the better training that the SWAT team has — and the better equipment — for everybody’s safety.”
Factoring in the recent purchase of guns, as well as the individual’s mental health, made this situation into what it was, but Millard does not label it as a hostage situation.
“You could say we were trying to avoid it becoming a dangerous hostage situation by being patient and negotiating for him to come out,” he said. “Ultimately, they were called there for a domestic disturbance, that a domestic assault had occurred, and we patiently waited to get him in custody without anybody getting hurt.”
Millard said he was unable to comment on if any threats were made to the police or individuals inside the home, but nobody in the home was harmed during the incident.
The man was taken into custody after the SWAT team “stormed the porch,” according to Millard.
“He stepped on the porch and they took advantage of the opportunity to take him into custody,” Millard said.
The suspect suffered minor injuries due to a Taser deployment, according to the press release.
Following the arrest, “Officers confiscated weapons, ammunition, night vision goggles, and a tactical vest from the home,” according to the press release.
Police said the man is facing charges of domestic assault and simple assault.
“The outcome of this incident was the culmination of outstanding teamwork between members of the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, Troy Police Department, and Royal Oak Officers,” Royal Oak Police Chief Michael Moore said in a prepared statement. “While the subject is facing criminal charges from this incident, officers and deputies on the scene did a great job being aware of the subject’s mental health and took extra measures to bring this incident to a peaceful conclusion.”