DeLAND, Fla. – A 12-hour standoff ended overnight in DeLand, allowing residents to return to their nearby homes.
The DeLand Police Department said investigators surrounded a home Monday afternoon in the 1300 block of Fatio Road, where Cameron Brown, 19, was holed up. He was arrested on a charge of robbery with a weapon.
Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood, whose agency assisted in the standoff, said a man and his wife were waiting for a bus around 4 p.m. near the Walmart Neighborhood Market on Woodland when four men stole a backpack from the couple, taking jewelry and cash.
The victim called 911 and said the men grabbed her backpack, took some items out of it and threw it back at her, according to that 911 call.
Chitwood said the getaway car was spotted at the Fatio Road home. The suspected thieves came out before Brown ran back inside and threatened to kill law enforcement officers and himself if police came into the house.
Three others involved in the robbery were also charged: 23-year-old Codey Brown, 22-year-old Ryan Mackey and a 16-year-old, according to the Sheriff's Office. Chitwood said after the robbery the suspects ran out of the house before Brown barricaded himself inside, sparking a 12-hour standoff.
Brown refused to negotiate and was found in a crawl space after 22 rounds of tear gas were launched into the home, according to Chitwood.
”Tear gas got the better part of him and he let us know, 'I can’t get out where I am at, trapped in this crawl space,'" Chitwood said.
Neighbors were evacuated as a precaution as SWAT trucks moved in Monday night. Eventually Brown’s dad helped bring the standoff to a peaceful end.
"Dad was texting with his son," Chitwood said. "Dad shared all types of information about the house, like any father who didn't want anything bad to happen to his son. He also made it clear to us because the threats his son communicated to law enforcement."
The Volusia County Sheriff's Office released body camera video of the stand off on Tuesday. View the partial video below.
No injuries were reported.