The hostage next door

I was wrapping up at work yesterday and got a text from Robbie. It said 'There is a hostage situation 6 houses down from us. Please Pray!' I ran through the building here and told all the students at the HUB for TMX to start praying. Several of those students had just been at our house for an orientation to our ministry and to volunteer at the Good Sam. I took off to get home and see what was going on. Our house has within a police barricade on Lake Ave. I got the cops to let me by into my driveway. The seen was straight out of a movie. There were cops, firetrucks, tactical units, and a huge military looking vehicle with a giant shielded gun on top pointed at out neighbors house. Everybody in the neighborhood was outside. It was the most neighbors together at one time that I have experienced since we have been here. 4 hours passed and all we knew was that there was a hostage. The police did a pretty amazing job of not saying anything about what was happening. After the 4 hour standoff things started happening. It was hard to tell what but I saw a stretcher brought out to the firetruck and many of the vehicles started leaving. The neighbors started going home and I ran inside to check the internet for news. At that time all that I could find was that there was a man that had his ex-girlfiend held up in the house. She was stabbed but rescued. That is all it said. This morning there was more information available. Here is what I found:

By Robbyn Mitchell, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Wednesday, March 10, 2010

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TAMPA — A woman going to claim her things from an apartment she had shared with a man was stabbed and held hostage four hours in a standoff with authorities on Tuesday.

Police said that two days earlier Tameka Lashawn Washington, 27, had moved out of the garage apartment she shared with Walter James Scott, 44, and came back with her sister Tuesday at 2 p.m., intending to pick up belongings and money.

When she knocked, Scott yanked her inside and slammed the door in the sister's face, said Laura McElroy, a police spokeswoman.

Washington's sister ran down the apartment's steps and called police on her cell phone.

"One girl ran down the stairs yelling 'I'm going to call somebody' but the other girl didn't come out," said Sarah Haywood, who lives across the street from 1007 1/2 E Lake Ave., where the standoff took place.

Scott has a history of domestic violence arrests involving Washington and other women, McElroy said.

Officers spoke with Scott at length through a crack in the door, which was barricaded with a couch.

He told them they were talking about their relationship, and he was going to release her, McElroy said.

When he didn't, tactical response officers and a hostage negotiator were called.

McElroy said they negotiated for hours with Scott.

Just when it seemed he'd surrender, Scott cut off communication with police, McElroy said.

"At that point they were worried about Washington's safety, so they broke down the door and entered the residence," she said.

Washington darted out of the bathroom toward the officers, bleeding from a stab wound to her back.

She was taken to Tampa General Hospital, where she was listed in fair condition Tuesday night, hospital officials said.

Scott was charged with aggravated battery and armed false imprisonment with domestic violence enhancements, police said. He has been arrested more than 40 times since 1984, records show.

He has been charged with battery at least 10 times but only one of his three stints in prison was for battery.

Thank God neither of them were too badly hurt. And for all the ugliness it was really nice to be out with all the neighbors at the same time. Maybe we can find more positive things to gather around in the future.
And I must say for all the problems I usually have with the cops around here.... They did a good job and were respectful to the neighborhood.