Armed man points gun at victim, barricades himself in bedroom: deputies
FORT MYERS, Fla. (WFLA) — A Fort Myers man was arrested Friday after deputies said he threatened to shoot somebody inside the home and barricaded himself in a bedroom.
Just after 9 p.m., the Lee County Sheriff's Office responded to a domestic disturbance at a home in the 2000 block of Gorthan Avenue in Fort Myers.
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Investigators revealed Weston Allen Gardner, 39, had gotten into an argument with somebody inside the home and pointed a gun at them, threatening to shoot the victim and himself.
When deputies arrived, they evacuated the remaining residents in the home, as Gardner barricaded himself in a bedroom.
Despite several commands and attempts to get Gardner out of the home, the suspect ignored authorities, until the Special Operations Unit and Crisis Negotiation Teams responded.
The video shows the moment Gardner exited the home, was ordered to the ground and placed under arrest.
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'I'm grateful for the teamwork used by all, to include response from Patrol, our Special Operations Unit, Crisis Negotiations Team, and Electronic Surveillance Unit in safely removing the suspect from inside the home before he was able to hurt himself or others,' Sheriff Carmine Marceno said.
Inside the home, officials seized a Glock 19 handgun, several rounds of ammunition and a holster.
Gardner was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon and obstruction without violence.
According to court records, Gardner has a decades-long history of run-ins with the law including criminal traffic charges, breach of peace, and battery (domestic violence).
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