Chester County, Pa. standoff ends when SWAT officer signs "White Christmas." Photo by Matt Petrillo, CBS Philly.
From CBS Philly:
CHESTER COUNTY, Pa. (CBS) — A Christmas day barricade situation ended in an unusual manner after the East Vincent Township SWAT team used a different tactic — singing a Christmas carol. The incident began when family members called police to the home of 34-year-old Nathaniel Lewis, a member of the Pennsylvania National Guard.
Authorities say Lewis was behaving erratically due to separating from his wife. When police arrived, they found out that Lewis had a gun and the SWAT team was called in to help diffuse the situation.
An hours-long standoff ensued with Lewis firing at police officers from a second-story bedroom. Bullets struck the sides of an armored police vehicle, a civilian’s vehicle, and a nearby home.
“We were putting our kids to bed around 9 and heard what we thought was a firework,” said neighbor Megan Flynn.
Megan and Matthew Flynn said a SWAT team rushed them and their kids into a basement, saying they were responding to a barricade situation with their neighbor.
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Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan says police initially conducted a wellness check on Lewis after his wife asked for a separation. Lewis refused to come out of the house, and then took his rifle, firing some 20 shots at officers outside.
Nearly nine hours later, Lewis demanded a negotiator sing him “White Christmas.” Four verses later, Lewis came out.
