Officers on scene at Henry Street.
A 45-year-old New Haven man who allegedly held a woman at gunpoint then remained barricaded in a Henry Street apartment surrendered to police without incident around 11:45 a.m. Thursday.
The drama began around 3:30 a.m. when police responded to a domestic call at the apartment on the block of Henry between Dixwell Avenue and Orchard Street, according to spokesperson Capt. Anthony Duff. A man allegedly broke in with a handgun and proceeded to hold the woman at gunpoint.
Sam Gurwitt Photo
Capt. Duff briefs reporters.
Police closed surrounding streets. Some immediate residences were evacuated. Other neighbors were instructed to stay inside. The SWAT and Hostage Negotiation Team arrived to try to resolve the dispute.
The suspect does not live in the apartment, Duff said. Others were present when he originally entered the apartment; he let the others leave while keeping the woman there.
“He absolutely knows the victim,” Duff said of the suspect, during a press conference held at around noon. “They were in a dating relationship. This would be considered a domestic violence-related incident,” Duff said.
The woman was released by 9 a.m., according to Duff. Members of the department’s Special Victims Unit were on hand and helping her.
The man remained barricaded inside. His brother, Russell Veitch, was enlisted to try to talk him into surrendering. That did not work. Veitch’s daughter took a turn and apparently succeeded, according to Veitch.
The SWAT team at one point noticed a “drone hovering above the crime scene,” Duff wrote in a release.
“DO NOT livestream this event. It jeopardizes the lives of law enforcement personnel by possibly informing or warning the suspect of current or pending police action,” he urged the media.
The man walked out of the house at the end, and no one was injured.
Veitch (pictured) said that his brother had a tumultuous relationship for years with the woman held hostage. They have a child together. Veitch said he had been with his brother Wednesday night. Veitch said he spoke with his brother on the phone later, when he was in the apartment. He said his brother talked about committing suicide.
Later, Duff said the arrestee was being taken to the hospital for a medical evaluation. He appeared not to have been injured in Thursday’s incident. He will probably be scheduled to appear in court on Friday. Family members of the female victim told police that the suspect subsequently committed vandalism at the location.
Police recovered a handgun at the scene, Duff reported.
The incident occurred near where someone shot and almost killed Capt. Duff a year ago.
