Animal Cruelty Warrant Leads to Daylong Standoff in DC

3 officers shot during the ordeal
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Feb 15, 2024 1:00 AM CST
Animal Cruelty Warrant Leads to Daylong Standoff in DC
Washington Metropolitan Police, seen Oct. 19, 2022, in Washington.   (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Three police officers were shot trying to make an animal cruelty arrest that touched off an hourslong standoff in the nation's capitol on Wednesday, which ended late at night with a man's arrest, the AP reports. The officers were hospitalized and expected to recover from gunshot wounds, authorities said. A fourth officer was hurt at the scene, but not shot. The standoff started Wednesday morning as officers attempted to make an arrest on an animal cruelty warrant, but the suspect refused to leave the home, Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith said. As officers tried to get inside, a person opened fire. The shooter barricaded himself inside his home in the southeast part of Washington and continued sporadically firing shots hours after opening fire, police said.

Hours after the standoff began, 46-year-old Julius James was arrested on suspicion of cruelty to animals. He is expected to face additional charges related to the shooting. One officer was struck by gunfire twice, but the rounds were stopped by a bulletproof vest, said Gregg Pemberton, chairman of the Washington, DC, police union. Two more officers were struck in their lower legs. The fourth officer suffered hand injuries at the scene, he said. Roads were closed, schools were locked down, and police warned people to stay far from the area as the shooting unfolded.

(More Washington, DC stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X