Unruly crowd gathers at standoff
 |
|
|
4/15/2007
Police surrounded a north Tulsa apartment Saturday night attempting to take a murder suspect into custody.
Units from across the city were called in to help disperse a large crowd that had gathered, with some in the crowd reportedly throwing rocks and firing a weapon toward police and others near where the suspect had holed up.
The suspect, Rico Starks, 18, barricaded himself inside an apartment at the Morning Star Apartments, 2201 N. Hartford Ave., at about 7 p.m., refusing to comply with police demands that he surrender.
Officer Scott Walton couldn't confirm reports about rocks being thrown and shots being fired from the crowd, but KOTV, channel 6, cameraman Dominic Armstrong, who was in the middle of the melee when it began, said he was standing next to a vehicle that was hit by shots fired from the crowd. He also said several people in the crowd grabbed a reporter from another television station by her hair and threw her to the ground.
Police wouldn't confirm who was holed up in the apartment, but the suspect's grandmother, Lucretia Lewis, who had driven from Dallas, confirmed it was Starks. She said he was alone in the apartment, but didn't know if he was armed or not.
"I had tried to get him out. We talked to him, trying to talk him into giving himself up," Lewis said. "I came here to talk to him, and they won't let me."
Starks was charged in early Febru5 ary with second-degree murder in the slaying of Mark Jordan, 18.
In January, a charge of shooting with intent to kill was filed against Starks.
Additional police, some wearing riot gear and carrying batons, were called from other districts to help deal with the crowd, which numbered about 200. The Special Operations Team and armored personnel carrier, along with the department's helicopter, were also dispatched to help with the situation.
Walton said the additional officers were needed to help secure a perimeter around the apartment complex and provide security for officers attempting to get Starks to surrender.
"Early on, there was a lot of chaos, and we didn't know what we had," Walton said.
By 11 p.m., police had established contact with Starks and were negotiating for his surrender
Units from across the city were called in to help disperse a large crowd that had gathered, with some in the crowd reportedly throwing rocks and firing a weapon toward police and others near where the suspect had holed up.
The suspect, Rico Starks, 18, barricaded himself inside an apartment at the Morning Star Apartments, 2201 N. Hartford Ave., at about 7 p.m., refusing to comply with police demands that he surrender.
Officer Scott Walton couldn't confirm reports about rocks being thrown and shots being fired from the crowd, but KOTV, channel 6, cameraman Dominic Armstrong, who was in the middle of the melee when it began, said he was standing next to a vehicle that was hit by shots fired from the crowd. He also said several people in the crowd grabbed a reporter from another television station by her hair and threw her to the ground.
Police wouldn't confirm who was holed up in the apartment, but the suspect's grandmother, Lucretia Lewis, who had driven from Dallas, confirmed it was Starks. She said he was alone in the apartment, but didn't know if he was armed or not.
Starks was charged in early Febru5 ary with second-degree murder in the slaying of Mark Jordan, 18.
In January, a charge of shooting with intent to kill was filed against Starks.
Additional police, some wearing riot gear and carrying batons, were called from other districts to help deal with the crowd, which numbered about 200. The Special Operations Team and armored personnel carrier, along with the department's helicopter, were also dispatched to help with the situation.
Walton said the additional officers were needed to help secure a perimeter around the apartment complex and provide security for officers attempting to get Starks to surrender.
"Early on, there was a lot of chaos, and we didn't know what we had," Walton said.
By 11 p.m., police had established contact with Starks and were negotiating for his surrender
