HOLIDAY, Fla. (WFLA) — A person was barricaded inside of a home in Pasco County on Friday.
Deputies were called to investigate a “suspicious incident” in the Holiday Lakes Estate neighborhood at 9:30 a.m., according to the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office.
The suspect, identified as Eric Dykstra, 57, had recently been released from jail and had a no-contact order from the female victim, who he previously shared the home with.
A camera in the home led the female victim to notify deputies of Dykstra in her home. The camera also helped officials watch Dykstra who was holding a gun.
Dykstra was seen alongside two propane tanks with a red container on top, which he told deputies he would use to blow up the home. Those threats prompted officials to evacuate nearby residents.
“I see cops running up and down the street in their cars, didn’t pay no attention to it, next thing I know they knock on my garage door, and I talk to them they say, ‘hey you got to evacuate,” said Frank Wiggins, a neighbor.
In a news conference on Friday, officials said the suspect fired at deputies as they approached him.
The “suspicious incident” was resolved “peacefully,” and the man was detained and searched by officials outside of the home.
The sheriff’s office believed Dykstra was inside the Fairmount Drive home “in violation of a domestic violence injunction.” The man refused to leave the home for several hours, according to PCSO.
No injuries were reported.
Nearby schools were on “alert campus status,” according to the school district. Police also evacuated nearby neighbors out of precaution.
“We are in contact with the sheriff’s office and there is no current threats to our schools,” a Pasco Schools spokesperson said.
The suspect had been previously arrested for domestic violence and was released from the Pasco County Detention Facility on Feb. 21 on charges related to domestic battery and theft from Dec. 14, 2023.
Police said charges are still being worked on as of this report.
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