SWAT Team action in my hometown!!!!!!!

[DevilDog]

Well yesterday, (June 7, 2005) was a big day for Millbrae my hometown, 2 blocks from my house there was a suicidal man threatening to kill him self and officers. I was at the Stand off for about 12 hours and got some great shots.

The cool thing is that one of my photos is being used in the San Mateo Times, I'll be getting paid anywhere from $75 to over $100. It’s pretty cool my first time doing Freelance and I get a pic on the front page. One crazy thing is that I was the only photographer near the house during the morning and afternoon, I was maybe 25 to 35 feet away from the house and the other photographers were about two blocks away from the house, but they got smart and got to my area towards 5pm but like the other photographers told me I was the only one that got good pictures.

Here are some of the Pics:
Early in the morning the SWAT team prepares to go to the house with the son to try to talk his father out:

The son returns from the house with out his father:

The son returns from the house with out his father:

The SWAT team comes from there staging area with a phone to place at the back door of the house:

The SWAT team starting to cross the street:

The SWAT team moves across the street:

The SWAT team in formation to place a phone at the back door of the house. This is the pic thats on the Front page of the Newspaper:

A SWAT team member keeps a eye on the perimeter:

Another SWAT team member checks to see if there is anyother way into the backyard:

The son and daughter alongside with a cop and a fourth person goes to the house:



-Nick Rose

[YBBN]

Nice pictures. But poor kids for getting dragged into all that.

[screaming_emu]

cool pictures, how'd it end?

[Ansett]

You put yourself and those SWAT members in immediate danger, being that close to the action. Think before you act next time. Good pics but

[chrisburns]

You know that he had to most likely be behind the tape, and all you have to have is a telephoto lens.

[Ansett]

maybe, if he was the tape should have been further back, but he has'nt replied so i am taking it as he was infront of the tape but he said 25-35yrds which is way to short

[DevilDog]

Yes I was behind the yellow tape and there was a police officer infront of me. To Ansett, how dare you tell me that I put myself and the SWAT team members in immediate danger. How could of I put the SWAT team members in danger they weren't going past me they were probably over 30 yards infront of me. Also the guy was trapped in the basement workshop, so if anything happened it would be inside. One other thing you should think before you comment about something, sorry if I sound like a ass but I don't like people telling me that I put others in danger when I didn't. Also I was using a 400mm lense.

Oh yeah, sometime between the time I went to bed(1am) and 7:30am the guy got arrested. If you guys what to read the story you can go here: http://www.insidebayarea.com/sanmate...ews/ci_2790274

-Nick R.

[Messerschmitt Man]

Nice thread DevilDog.

what are you guys on about? Most of the pictures you can actually see the tape, i.e. he was well behind the tape, and the other's he's just zoomed in i assume.

The equavalent to S.W.A.T in NZ is the Armed Defenders Squad, and in my opinion their uniform is much cooler, black boots, black helmit, black everything. Green uniform doesn't seem as intimadating.

[DevilDog]

The first three photos were from a different street then the others so thats why the people are so far away and also the house was not even in that area where I was for the first three photos. One of the cops at the first area that I was at told me to go to the next street over and a block up so I could actually see the house and get really close to the action. So thanks to that cop I was able to get really good pics.

So you guys know where the house is, if you look at the 8th picture the house is right behind the bushes.

-Nick R.

[Ansett]

Maybe i was too abrubt in what i said and it probably comes as being a police officer. Countless of times when we have had situations go wrong which resulted in a officer down it has been a member of the public that casued it. I remember one time a guy who was threating to kill he estranged wife in a shopping centre we had the wole shopping centre off bounds but somehow a photographer managed to take a picture of him. this caused agrevated him causing him to shoot his wife and the reporter. now the reporter wants to sue us. what got me was when you said i was teh only one.


(How could of I put the SWAT team members in danger they weren't going past me they were probably over 30 yards infront of me. Also the guy was trapped in the basement workshop, so if anything happened it would be inside. )

yep if he had a tv and you were live, hell only knows what he is going to do

[BA747-436]

To Ansett, how dare you tell me that I put myself and the SWAT team members in immediate danger. -Nick R.

:shakehead: Man calm down. Theres no need to go of at him. He made a mistake, all that was needed was for you correct him. Whats with all this "How dare you BS..." Seriously.

[Messerschmitt Man]

:shakehead: Man calm down. Theres no need to go of at him. He made a mistake, all that was needed was for you correct him. Whats with all this "How dare you BS..." Seriously.

as much as I understand Ansett's explination, with his first post on face value I don't blame DevilDog for his reaction. I'd take offense also If I was wrongly accused of putting peoples lives in danger, it's a pretty serious thing to be accused of. Where not talking about who ate the last ice-cream here.

[BA747-436]

right, i just think people over react on these forums sometimes. Thats all

[MaxPower]

wow.. shoot to thrill ... very exciting .. how was it to "be" in the area (hotzone) ??

[DevilDog]

Well here is an update on what happened to that suicidal man in Millbrae. The man was never arrested he was just served a restraining order and it ended at 6am. I just wonder if he decides does not to go to court and the cops come by the house to arrest him, if he will come out peacefully or if he will try to do something to himself or the cops, who knows we might have the SWAT team back, but must likely that won’t happen.

Here is the news article from the San Mateo Times website:

Standoff with police in Millbrae ends without arrest
By Malaika Fraley and Amy Yarbrough, STAFF WRITER

MILLBRAE — A police standoff that shut down a residential neighborhood ended at 6 a.m. Wednesday, when officers served a restraining order on a man accused of threatening to kill his family.

Officers cordoned off a four-block area around the Daniel Ray Lewis' home at 725 Chadbourne Ave. Tuesday morning and evacuated around 60 of his neighbors after his wife called 9-1-1 at 8:15 a.m. Tuesday. She reported that he had threatened to kill her and their 20-year-old son.

Both the woman and her son escaped unharmed as more than 80 officers, including a SWAT team, from agencies all over San Mateo County converged on the neighborhood.

Lewis, whom police described as drunk and suicidal, remained barricaded in his basement workshop until Wednesday morning, when officers served him with the temporary restraining order through a hole in the wall, Millbrae Police Capt. Mike Grogan said.

Grogan said authorities cordoned off his neighborhood Tuesday because Lewis had several handguns in the house and because friends told them he had made explosives such as M-80s in the past.

Grogan said Lewis also had made references to committing "suicide by cop."

Police eventually left without taking Lewis into custody.

"We didn't know if (the standoff) would last two days or four days," said Grogan, who added that police wanted a peaceful resolution and didn't want to force Lewis out of the house. "We felt that between her leaving and the emergency protective order, we did all we could."

Grogan said Lewis faces charges of making terrorist threats to his wife and son and possibly other charges related to the standoff.

The case has been handed over to the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office for prosecution.

Costs

Cost figures for the extensive deployment of officers were not available Wednesday, nor was it clear who would foot the bill.

However, Millbrae Police Sgt. James Vangele said the normal practice was for all agencies involved to bear their own costs unless the incident covered an extended period, which he said was usually more than 24 hours.

Asked whether Lewis would be arrested if the District Attorney's Office filed charges, Vangele said prosecutors would likely first "send a letter" advising Lewis of his court date. If he failed to appear, a warrant could be issued for his arrest.

Here is a picture of the front page of the newspaper for anyone that did not get a San Mateo Times newspaper. You can see my picture and to the bottom right corner you can see my name:




-Nick R.