WEEKI WACHEE, Fla. (WFLA) — The hours-long standoff for a barricaded person wanted for attempted murder has ended, according to the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office.
The standoff, which lasted nearly 10 hours, began around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday on Maripoe Road, near the cross-streets of Papercraft and Pacific, after the suspect threatened deputies. HCSO and the Citrus County SWAT were also called to assist.
The sheriff’s office said they initially went to the residence to serve an arrest warrant to 50-year-old James Hines, who is allegedly wanted for attempted murder.
In the latest update from officials, they said Hines showed signs of distress early on and eventually went silent. The sheriff said officials breached all the windows to see inside before making entry into the home because there was concern Hines could be waiting for deputies to move inside.
Based on preliminary information, Neinhuis said he believes an HCSO deputy deployed a non-lethal bean bag to try to incapacitate the suspect because he was hiding in a closet. After the deputy deployed the bean bag, that’s when Hines reportedly began firing at deputies.
“Once the bean bag was deployed, it’s my understanding that he had a long gun and started firing at deputies, which, of course, was a huge mistake on his part because deputies did return fire. It does appear as though, when they took him out of the house, took him into custody, he is still alive. He is being transported to a local trauma center. Obviously, his condition is unknown, it’s probably very serious, but we won’t know for some time,” Sheriff Neinhuis said.
HCSO said no law enforcement personnel was injured during the standoff. Both Hernando and Citrus County deputies were involved in the shooting. The FDLE will now investigate the shooting.
Police also said the attempted murder Hines is allegedly wanted for happened at 3 a.m. Wednesday. The sheriff said Hines is accused of setting an ex-girlfriend’s home on fire with her new boyfriend inside, declaring it attempted murder by arson.
Before deputies entered the home, around 8:40 p.m., authorities made contact with the suspect, deployed tear gas, and a Citrus County robot entered the lower portion of the home.
Authorities said they believed the suspect was in the home’s attic because they saw where parts of the ceiling had fallen. However, in the latest update, Sheriff Nienhuis said the man was hiding inside a closet.
“We’re sure he’s in the house; we just need to figure out where he is and his current status. Obviously, he could be incapacitated because of the heat, because of the gas, or because of some sort of self-inflicted gunshot wound, or he could be lying and waiting for deputies to make entry,” Neinhuis stated.
Residents are asked to remain indoors if they have not been evacuated by law enforcement. People in the area are asked to bring their children indoors. Drivers should avoid the area as streets are closed.
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