RIVERVIEW, Fla. — A man is in custody after he reportedly held his mother hostage at gunpoint during a 10-hour standoff in Riverview with Hillsborough County deputies, the sheriff's office said.
It all started around 9:30 p.m. at the Allegro Palm apartments after deputies received a call about a domestic disturbance.
When they arrived, deputies said they met with a family member who said 29-year-old Najah Strickland barricaded himself in an apartment while holding his mother, 47-year-old Chaketa Mister, hostage with a gun.
Deputies said they tried talking to Strickland multiple times but couldn't. That's when the sheriff's office said it called in the agency's SWAT Team, explosive ordinance disposal team and crisis negotiation team to assist.
Once reinforcements arrived, authorities said they tried again to speak with Strickland through the apartment's front door. However, Strickland fired several shots at deputies, the agency said.
A while later, deputies said they were able to locate Strickland's mother in the main bedroom. They were able to safely rescue her from the apartment through the third-floor bedroom window.
"Our deputies quick thinking and bravery allowed them to rescue an innocent victim from a third-story window," Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a statement. "If our team had not acted swiftly and decisively, this situation could have ended in tragedy."
Deputies kept trying to communicate with Strickland and then resorted to trying to get him to surrender using various methods including sending in robots and deploying CS gas.
After 10 hours of working to resolve the situation, deputies said they were able to find and apprehend Strickland "peacefully."
"I am so proud of the dedication and commitment our team shows at every scene, especially after hours of diligent work and attempts to get this suspect to surrender peacefully," Chronister said. "Our deputy's calm demeanor and decisive actions ensured the safety of everyone involved."