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Robbery Suspect Behind Bars, Hostages Rescued

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Tony Maples Photography

 

On December 1, 2016, after spending two hours locked in a Jacksonville credit union with a deranged gunman, eleven hostages were freed.

According to witnesses, the suspect, later identified as 23-year-old Nicholas Daquan Humphrey, entered the credit union with a dog, discharged his firearm, and announced he was robbing the place. He ordered all the hostages into a room at the back of the credit union. Jacksonville sheriff’s office spokesperson, Melissa Bujeda, said dispatch received a call at 9:06 a.m. stating a robbery was in progress at the Community First Credit Union on West Edgewood Avenue. A few minutes later, a report came in of shots fired.

hostages Jacksonville Sheriff's Office SWAT Team

Photo: Facebook/Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office

The first officers on the scene confirmed a robbery with hostages was underway and quickly mobilized both the Jacksonville SO SWAT Team and hostage negotiators. As negotiations commenced, the gunman became more unstable, making increasingly violent threats and placing his handgun to the back of the hostages’ heads.

SWAT determined they needed to make entry into the building at the first possible opportunity.  Unbeknownst to Humphrey, two hostages had hidden in a different part of the bank. When they made an attempt to escape, they distracted the gunman long enough for SWAT to enter the building.

According to MSN, SWAT’s armored front-end loader used its battering ram to punch a hole in the credit union’s front door, then officers in body armor burst in with rifles trained on the gunman. SWAT members placed themselves between the gunman and the hostages, allowing the hostages to leave the building unharmed.

nicholas-humphrey-booking-photo-jacksonville
Photo: Facebook/Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office

Humphrey (pictured above) has no felony arrest record in the area. Among other demands, he kept requesting various members of his family be brought to the scene. Sheriff Mike Williams reported Humphrey was unpredictable and uncooperative throughout the interview process after his arrest.

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