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Mother rescued after being held hostage by son in Florida apartment: HCSO

HCSO hostage situation
Posted at 8:51 AM, May 24, 2024

RIVERVIEW, Fla. — A man was arrested for holding his mother hostage in a Riverview apartment Thursday night, according to officials.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said deputies arrived at the Allegro Palm apartment complex around 9:26 p.m. after receiving a call about a domestic disturbance.

When they arrived, deputies said they made contact with a family member who told them the suspect, Najah Strickland, 29, barricaded himself and his mother, Chaketa Mister, 47, in the apartment. Strickland was also holding Mister hostage with a gun.

Deputies said they attempted to make contact with Strickland multiple times but were unable, at which point HCSO's SWAT, Explosive Ordinance Disposal, and Crisis Negotiation teams were called for help.

When all teams arrived, they again attempted to make contact with Strickland, this time through the front door. Deputies said he then fired the gun multiple times through the door.

The SWAT team was then able to find Mister in the main bedroom and helped her escape through the third-floor window. Deputies made several more attempts at trying to make contact with Strickland, which included sending a robot inside the apartment and deploying CS gas to get him to surrender.

10 hours later, Strickland finally came out of the apartment peacefully. Deputies said they then apprehended him.

Last month, weintroduced you to Jimmy Klass, a Floridian who learned he was not a U.S. citizen after living here for 64 years. ABC Action News reporter Katie LaGrone is following through with updates to his story, while also sharing the story of another Floridian who learned she was not a U.S. citizen after 60 years in the U.S.

After nearly 60 years, another Floridian learns she’s not a legal citizen