Crime & Safety

Domestic Standoff on Capitol Drive Draws Tactical Units

One witness estimated that police and tactical units were on the scene for at least 2 hours near 95th and Capitol Drive on Thursday in Wauwatosa.

A domestic disturbance that turned into a standoff with police shut down traffic for about two hours Thursday afternoon on a portion of West Capitol Drive, said.

Police Capt. Jeff Sutter said that a 27-year-old man got into an argument with his mother and teenage brother in their apartment in the 9500 block of Capitol and pulled a knife, threatening his brother.

The mother and brother managed to flee from the apartment, Sutter said, but the 27-year-old stayed inside with two children, 2 and 5 years old.

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Wauwatosa police were called at 12:25 p.m. and sent a Special Response Team, which also includes medical units.

“He wouldn’t come out, and he wouldn’t answer the phone,” Sutter said, “so there was some concern for the safety of the two kids. It’s standard procedure to send the Special Response Team in that situation.

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“Eventually, he did answer the phone and was talking with our negotiator, but he still wouldn’t come out. But while he was on the phone, he opened the front door,” Sutter said.

“Our guys were standing there, and he thought the one right in front of the door was the one he was talking to on the phone.

“He says, ‘Why are you pointing a gun at me?’ And the officer on the phone says, ‘What are you talking about?’

“Then he said, ‘I’m still not coming out,' so our guys just went in and got him. He offered minor resistance and was taken into custody at 1:53 p.m. And the kids were fine, nobody was hurt.”

Police were stationed at 94th and Capitol to block off westbound traffic and also stopped eastbound traffic on the other side.

Sutter said the man would likely face a handful of charges, beginning with disorderly conduct while armed, when the police forward his case to the Milwaukee County District Attorney.

The teenage brother of the suspect said, “It was just my family.”

A neighbor across the street asked what was going on, and when told it was a domestic standoff that had been resolved, he said, “That’s all? Nobody got killed? Man, for that they had 27 cars here. I know I counted 27, 28 cars.”


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