7-hour Charlotte SWAT standoff ends with flash bangs, suspect shoots himself
A suspect shot himself in front of SWAT officers and family after more than 7 hours of negotiation with officers outside an east Charlotte pawn shop Monday evening, police said.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police from about 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. asked people to avoid the area near the intersection of Albemarle Road and East W.T. Harris Boulevard as its SWAT Unit negotiated with an armed, wanted suspect.
The man, who police have not yet named, backed himself up to the building’s wall and refused to drop his weapon until about 5:30 p.m., according to a CMPD news release.
SWAT officers then set off “flash bangs,” or stun grenades, to distract the man, but he quickly picked up his gun and shot himself, police said. His family was on scene helping police negotiate.
The man later died at the hospital, according to the news release. It is unclear what prompted the SWAT unit’s response.
East Charlotte traffic during Monday SWAT standoff
Police first responded to the intersection at about 10 a.m. and began blocking off roads while looking for someone close to 10:10 a.m., according to emergency radio traffic obtained Monday by the Observer via Broadcastify.
CMPD’s BearCat — a vehicle for SWAT and military use — was blocking the entrance to a building with a pawn shop off W.T. Harris Boulevard, WSOC reported Monday morning.
Officers were talking to the suspect “wanted for multiple warrants,” CMPD posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, at about 4:15 p.m.
Buses coming from six schools were rerouted around the area, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools’ operations specialist Tom Miner posted on X Monday afternoon, formerly known as Twitter. Police asked people to continue avoiding the area during their afternoon commutes.
This is a developing story.
This story was originally published September 11, 2023 at 11:46 AM.
