LEESBURG, Fla. — An armed Leesburg man was arrested Tuesday after barricading himself for about 5 hours from law enforcement.
Charles Stanley Byers, 57, reportedly had pointed a gun at his employer, which sparked the standoff, according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
Byers was charged with aggravated assault with a firearm and resisting arrest.
According to an arrest affidavit, the victim told deputies he was driving beside the airport runway in Leesburg sometime before 10 a.m. Tuesday when he noticed one of his employees, Byers, frantically waving his arms at him and carrying what appeared to be a large wooden stick.
But when the employer drove up to Byers he said he pointed a long gun at him and pulled the trigger several times.
The employer added after getting over the shock of the gun being aimed at him, he sped off.
When deputies arrived to the Airport Road scene, Byers reportedly came out of a home with a gun in his hand, but zipped back inside after spotting deputies.
Sgt. Fred Jones, sheriff’s spokesman, said the man locked himself in the home and refused to come out. But after a 5-hour standoff and negotiations, SWAT was able to arrest him.
Byers was medically cleared and taken to the Lake County jail where he remained Wednesday morning in lieu of $3,000 bail.
Jones said Byers’ girlfriend said he had been drinking the night before.
Comments are closed.