CLEARWATER, Fla. — A Clearwater man is facing multiple charges after barricading himself in his apartment for more than seven hours and threatening to shoot his wife and officers, police said.
Clearwater police said the incident happened at The Standard apartments at 2690 Drew St.
James Halterman's wife called police shortly after 11 p.m. on Saturday and said her husband threatened to slit her throat and shoot her, police said.
Fearing for her life, she left the apartment.
Police said Halterman refused to come out of the apartment as requested by officers. Instead, he barricaded himself inside the apartment with multiple weapons.
At times, he pointed those weapons at officers who were outside the apartment.
Police said at one point, he said, "Come to my door and I will shoot you."
The SWAT team and the negotiator team came to the scene to begin a dialogue with Halterman. At the same time, officers evacuated residents in nearby apartments.
After more than seven and a half hours, around 6:45 a.m. on Sunday, police were able to take Halterman into custody.
He was charged with threatening communications or threats of a mass shooting and aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer.
He was then booked into the Pinellas County Jail.
"Our SWAT team and negotiator team worked tirelessly through the night to bring this incident to a peaceful conclusion," said Police Chief Dan Slaughter. "This man pointed guns at our officers multiple times and threatened to kill them and his wife. We utilized an abundance of restraint, as team members are taught to do. Our teams are skilled at de-escalation and the preservation of life."
