Haris Guess finally has a chance to catch his breath after a full day of chaos and confusion near his Burlington home. Police evacuated his apartment building on Riverside Avenue early Sunday morning while trying to take someone two doors down into custody.”We were like, ‘Do we need to leave?’ And they were like, ‘We thought you had,'” Guess said. Neighbors say the suspect, who has not been named by police, had been acting unusually for a few days. That behavior began to escalate, taking the people who know him by surprise.”Earlier on in the week, he had been yelling things like ‘fight for Sparta’ and sword fighting with himself,” Guess said. “He was then breaking property and tearing up people’s gardens. It was kind of a snowball.”That yelling turned more aggressive, leading to a nine-hour standoff with police, which ended with police throwing tear gas into windows and eventually firing off several rounds.”Tear gas is billowing out the window, and then you hear the pops. That was the moment when I started to freak out,” Guess said. The suspect was shot by a Burlington police officer and taken to the hospital, prompting Vermont State police to begin an investigation.Blocked off roads and tape on their building kept Haris and his neighbors from going back home for an additional 12 hours, meaning they were unable to retrieve some of their furry companions for almost 24 hours. A nightmare, they are just happy is in the past.”It’s unfortunate how it happened, but I think we know some of our neighbors a little bit better,” Guess said.Burlington police Chief Shawn Burke told NBC 5 that Vermont State Police will send more information on Tuesday. He also says the incident was isolated, and there is no ongoing threat to the greater Burlington community. The Burlington Police Officers’ Association released a statement Monday, extending their support for the officers involved in the incident, saying in part:We at the BPOA are very proud of how our officers handled this extremely volatile, dynamic and dangerous situation.The BPD officer who shot the suspect is currently on paid administrative leave.Previous reporting: https://www.mynbc5.com/article/burlington-apartment-evacuated-road-closed-escalating-incident/67989358
Haris Guess finally has a chance to catch his breath after a full day of chaos and confusion near his Burlington home. Police evacuated his apartment building on Riverside Avenue early Sunday morning while trying to take someone two doors down into custody.
“We were like, ‘Do we need to leave?’ And they [Burlington police] were like, ‘We thought you had,'” Guess said.
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Neighbors say the suspect, who has not been named by police, had been acting unusually for a few days. That behavior began to escalate, taking the people who know him by surprise.
“Earlier on in the week, he had been yelling things like ‘fight for Sparta’ and sword fighting with himself,” Guess said. “He was then breaking property and tearing up people’s gardens. It was kind of a snowball.”
That yelling turned more aggressive, leading to a nine-hour standoff with police, which ended with police throwing tear gas into windows and eventually firing off several rounds.
“Tear gas is billowing out the window, and then you hear the pops. That was the moment when I started to freak out,” Guess said.
The suspect was shot by a Burlington police officer and taken to the hospital, prompting Vermont State police to begin an investigation.
Blocked off roads and tape on their building kept Haris and his neighbors from going back home for an additional 12 hours, meaning they were unable to retrieve some of their furry companions for almost 24 hours. A nightmare, they are just happy is in the past.
“It’s unfortunate how it happened, but I think we know some of our neighbors a little bit better,” Guess said.
Burlington police Chief Shawn Burke told NBC 5 that Vermont State Police will send more information on Tuesday. He also says the incident was isolated, and there is no ongoing threat to the greater Burlington community.
The Burlington Police Officers’ Association released a statement Monday, extending their support for the officers involved in the incident, saying in part:
We at the BPOA are very proud of how our officers handled this extremely volatile, dynamic and dangerous situation.
The BPD officer who shot the suspect is currently on paid administrative leave.
Previous reporting: https://www.mynbc5.com/article/burlington-apartment-evacuated-road-closed-escalating-incident/67989358
