Children safe after police standoff at day care
After hearing that a man had barricaded himself at his 3-yearold’s Channelview day care center, Malcolm Butler rushed to the local fire station from work to reunite with his son. Butler said he felt “devastated” upon learning of the day’s events.
“It was heartbreaking. … I prayed our child would be all right, and the rest of the kids, too,” said Butler, a Baker Hughes employee.
The children were safe after a possibly armed man had barricaded himself inside the attic of the day care facility following a brief police chase. He surrendered later Thursday afternoon, according to officials with the Harris County Sheriff ’s Office.
Six children, including a 14month-old, were safely extracted one by one from the at-home day care at 1454 Leadenhall Circle, where the suspect fled, Chief Deputy Edison Toquica with the sheriff’s office said after the suspect surrendered.
The incident began as an 18year-old was overseeing the day care. The homeowner, listed on property records as Patricia Hawkins, and an adult male, as well as a 14-year-old staying in another part of the house, were present during the incident.
The extraction effort was conducted jointly by the sheriff’s office and Harris County Constable Precinct 3.
Toquica said the suspect, 19, is Hawkins’ grandson. Police said they believe he was armed with a revolver, although he apparently did not have a weapon when he later surrendered.
Theresa Perez, who lives next door, said Hawkins operates a day care from the home. Hawkins could not be reached at the scene by a reporter.
Perez said she saw police pull three children from a window.
“Right now I’m just glad the kids are out safe,” Perez said while hostage negotiators worked to lure the suspect out of the house. “That’s the big relief.”
The suspect led Precinct 3 deputies on a 15-minute chase about 11 a.m. after he ran a red light off of U.S. 90 and Beltway 8 and nearly hit a deputy’s cruiser, said Constable Sherman Eagleton.
Police chased the 19-year-old into the Leadenhall neighborhood, where he got out of his vehicle, fired two rounds at a deputy constable and fled on foot about two blocks to the home, Eagleton said. No one was injured.
Police said a woman they believe to be 18 or 19 years old, as well as the suspect’s infant, were left in the car.
The sheriff ’s office hostage negotiation team spent more than 30 minutes pleading into a bullhorn for the suspect to come out of the house, where he was holed up for about four hours.
Police said emergency medical personnel evaluated each child and confirmed none was harmed. Police also said the facility appears to be a licensed day care center.
Toquica said the suspect has an outstanding Arkansas warrant for burglary, adding that Arkansas officials were willing to extradite him.