A nine-hour SWAT standoff at a Newberry, Florida subdivision ended peacefully when the man barricaded inside surrendered to deputies who say he beat and threatened a 73-year-old woman with a handgun before locking himself in with a cache of firearms.
The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office said deputies were called to a residence in the CountryWay TownSquare development, in the 24600 block of Southwest 21st Circle in the Jonesville area, at about 8:45 p.m. on September 1 after receiving a report of a battery. The victim told deputies that the attack actually began the night before, on August 31, when an argument with 44-year-old Earnest Coleman escalated into a physical assault.
According to the sheriff’s office, Coleman struck the woman, threatened her with a handgun, took her cellphone so she could not call for help, and prevented her from leaving the home. Deputies said the 73-year-old victim had visible bruising consistent with her account of the attack by the time she was able to get away and alert authorities.
Barricaded With Multiple Firearms
When deputies arrived and tried to make contact, Coleman refused to come out and barricaded himself inside the home, which the sheriff’s office said gave him access to multiple firearms. SWAT teams and negotiators set up outside the residence as the standoff stretched through the overnight hours, closing off the surrounding subdivision streets to traffic.
Coleman finally walked out of the home and surrendered to deputies at around 9:20 a.m. on September 2, roughly nine hours after the standoff began, according to the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office. He was taken into custody without further incident and faces charges tied to the battery, the threats made with a firearm, and the barricade itself.
Felon Accused in Attack, Officials Say
Local reporting on the case has identified Coleman as a convicted felon, which would separately bar him from legally possessing the firearms found in the home. The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office has not released additional details about the relationship between Coleman and the victim beyond confirming they were both present at the CountryWay TownSquare address when the attack occurred.
The standoff shut down part of the quiet Jonesville-area subdivision for most of a day, and neighbors described waking up to find SWAT vehicles and armed deputies staged along their street. No injuries to law enforcement or bystanders were reported during the incident.
Sources
Hoodline · Alachua Chronicle · FOX 35 Orlando
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