LAKESIDE, Fla. – Hours after deputies surrounded a home on Sandy Hollow Loop in the Lakeside area Friday morning, a man surrendered to law enforcement around 11 a.m., Sheriff Michelle Cook said.
The incident forced the evacuation of some homes in the neighborhood after reports of gunfire, according to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies said they were called to the area off College Drive south of Old Jennings Road after reports of “a person firing a weapon on that block.”
(2/2) Swat personnel are on scene and will begin evacuating residents from Sandy Hollow Loop and will be taking them to St. John’s River State College located at 283 College Dr.
— Clay County Sheriff's Office, FL (@ccsofl) February 17, 2023
Residents who have family on Sandy Hollow Loop can meet their family members there.
Cook said the calls first came in around 7 a.m. and included reports of “multiple weapons” being fired outside a home. She said when deputies responded to the neighborhood, they heard shots being fired and saw the man, who ran inside a house and barricaded himself inside.
“I think we all know that law enforcement is a very dangerous profession,” Cook said. “I can personally tell you that this morning, as I was driving in to work, the first arriving deputies on scene were keying their mics to describe what they saw and heard, and I heard gunshots in the background.”
She said the SWAT team and crisis negotiators were called to the scene. The negotiators worked to get the man to surrender and come out of the home, while the SWAT team gave residents in the area the option to evacuate to nearby St. Johns River State College where they could reunite with loved ones who don’t live in the neighborhood. Those who chose not to evacuate were asked to shelter in place.
“As our crisis negotiator teams and SWAT teams are doing their thing, we have a command staff that is with them, guiding them. I’m letting them do their job,” Cook said. “I’m very confident in their abilities.”
“We do not understand why he came out and started firing his weapons. So once patrol responded and contained him in the house, we called out our SWAT team and our crisis negotiators,” Cook said. “Because of his reckless and dangerous behavior, firing off weapons in the neighborhood outside of his house previously, we are here to take him into custody.”
The negotiators were able to get the man to surrender peacefully around 11 a.m. and the neighborhood was expected to reopen by noon.
The man’s identity has not been released. No one was injured in the incident.
Cook made clear that the SWAT situation was in no way connected to Thursday night’s Amber Alert and manhunt for kidnapping suspect Terry Aries Levy.
“This is a separate incident. In reference to the Amber Alert last night, we are still looking for Terry Levy. We do have an active warrant for kidnapping for him. His photograph is on our social media pages. If people would take a quick look at that. And please call 911 If they see him out,” Cook said.