Suspect in armed standoff near Port Orange taken into custody, Volusia sheriff's officials say
Curtis Lapiere Jr. was in the process of being evicted from his father's home
The Volusia County man who engaged deputies in an hours-long standoff Thursday is accused of pointing a gun at the officers who'd come to the home to serve him an eviction notice, Sheriff Mike Chitwood said.
Officers first responded to the residence on Southfork Court in the Port Orange area at about 10:30 a.m. as the suspect's father was evicting him from the property, Chitwood said. The suspect, Curtis Lapiere Jr., 56, refused to open the door, but deputies gained entry after a locksmith let them in.
When deputies made it to the second floor of the home, they found Lapiere Jr. lying on a bed, pointing a gun in their direction, Chitwood said.
Officials asked people to avoid the residential area while negotiators, as well as the SWAT team, bomb unit and drone team, were on the scene. Air-One, the department's helicopter, also responded.
After five hours of negotiation attempts with assistance from a mental health worker, officers used a water cannon robot to force open the door to the house and fire tear gas inside, Chitwood said.
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Lapiere, 56, surrendered shortly before 3:30 p.m. and was taken into custody on a charge of aggravated assault with a firearm on a law enforcement officer, records show.
Sheriff's officials said no one was injured.
Chitwood said Lapiere Jr. seemed to suffer from mental health issues. He also commended the officers, including police from Port Orange and South Daytona, on their work at the scene.
"Everything they were supposed to do, these officers did," Chitwood said. "It worked out well."