Barricade Ends Peacefully after Standoff
WALDORF ---  On Feb. 7 at 6:38 p.m., Charles County Sheriff's officers
responded to a residence in the 1000 block of Bannister Circle in Waldorf
for the report of a domestic argument between a 30-year-old man and his
wife. The man was armed with a handgun and threatening to kill himself.

The couple's three small children were inside the residence and as officers
arrived, a police communications officer who was speaking with the wife
convinced her to let the children outside. When the children left the
residence, officers quickly took them to a safe location. The wife initially
refused to leave but she exited the residence at about 7:45 p.m.

Emergency services team (EST) members and hostage negotiators were called to
the scene. EST was establishing a perimeter at about 7:55 p.m. when the man
exited the residence unarmed. Officers quickly took him into custody. He was
transported to Civista Medical Center for an emergency evaluation. Officers
recovered the handgun from the residence.

Officers had closed a portion of Bannister Circle shortly before 7 p.m. and
reopened it when the incident ended. No homes needed to be evacuated and no
one was injured.