UPDATE: 12:50PM 1/18:
A Lee County Sheriff's Office deputy shot at a suspect who pointed a weapon at law enforcement twice during a barricade situation that lasted several hours Saturday night, Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said.
WATCH: Fox 4's Eric Lovelace spoke to a neighbor who watched the standoff:
The woman is now in custody.
The Sheriff said Deputies responded to the Bonita Beach Road area to assist the Collier County Sheriff's Office with an investigation involving a woman named Ciara Marie Smith. Deputies learned Smith was inside Leoni's Pizza with a firearm in her waistband and had left a concerning note.
Due to the location of Smith's residence, the Lee County Sheriff's Office took over the investigation.
Sheriff Marceno said in a Facebook post, when deputies responded to Smith's home, they made contact with the suspect, who pointed a weapon twice at deputies, resulting in one deputy discharging their firearm.
The Sheriff said Smith then barricaded herself inside, and refused to exit.
The Special Operations Unit and Crisis Negotiation Team responded and assumed control of the scene. The Major Crimes Unit, Advanced Technology Support Unit, Mobile Command, and several other LCSO assets were also deployed to assist.
Sheriff Marceno said after several hours trying to get her to come out, the Special Operations Unit deployed tactics that resulted in Smith exiting the residence.
Several neighbors at the scene said they could hear the megaphones from the sheriff's office asking for her to come out. Video posted at the scene from the sheriff's office shows the use of a robots, hydraulic breaching rams and drones.
In one video you can hear deputies say, "if you are injured we can get you an ambulance, we want to help you."
In photos posted to Facebook from the Sheriff's office there appears to be what looks like two firearms recovered from the home.
The Sheriff said after hours of trying to negotiate, Smith attempted to flee; however, deputies used less-lethal rounds to stop her and take her into custody.
Sheriff Marceno said Smith has a criminal history, including Throwing a Deadly Missile into an Occupied Vehicle, Drug Possession, Grand Theft, Domestic Violence, Burglary, and Violation of Probation.
LCSO said no deputies were injured during the standoff.
The deputy involved in the shooting has been placed on paid administrative leave in accordance with agency policy.
"I am incredibly proud of the hard work of everyone involved in this major incident," Marceno said.
"The efforts of our boots on the ground, combined with our state-of-the-art technology and the analysts in our Real Time Intelligence Center, led to the successful apprehension of a suspect with a lengthy criminal history involving violent crimes. We will always work diligently and deploy every available resource to ensure Lee County's streets remain safe," Marceno said.
Neighbors FOX 4 spoke with said they are still shaken from the standoff and home homes had to be evacuated due to the proximity to Smith's home.
The Pizza shop where the investigation started declined to comment at this time.
Fox 4 has a crew at the scene and will provide you the latest on air and online.
UPDATE: 12AM 1/18:
The Lee County Sheriff's Office says one person is in custody after a multi-hour standoff that started in Collier County and ended just across the county line in Bonita Springs.
The Sheriff's Office said on X that a woman barricaded herself in a Bonita Springs neighborhood on Saturday night. Multiple people told FOX 4 that armed deputies evacuated them from the neighborhood earlier in the afternoon.
According to the Collier County Sheriff's Office, deputies initially responded to a disturbance at Leoni's Pizzeria, located at 4131 Bonita Beach Road. Officials say the situation escalated, and the incident moved into Lee County, where the Lee County Sheriff's Office took over the investigation.
The manager of the restaurant declined to comment.
There was a massive law enforcement presence on Saturday night as deputies blocked off Imperial River Road. People lined both sides of Bonita Springs Road throughout the night, taking photos and cell phone video.
People huddled along the sidewalk after deputies evacuated them from the neighborhood, just across the street from the restaurant.
Several neighbors told FOX 4 they heard gunshots before heavily armed deputies escorted them from the neighborhood behind a riot shield.
"It was a bit freightening, to be honest with you," William Schuler told FOX 4. “The last thing you expect with your day is somebody with a riot shield and an armed officer to be having you grab their vest and follow them out just for your safety.”
Mahalia, who is from Jamaica, said she was on vacation with her family when shots rang out. Mahalia said armed deputies swarmed her backyard before knocking on the door and told her to leave.
“Yes, it was actually scary,” Mahalia said. “I didn’t get any explanation or nothing, that's worse."
A FOX 4 reporter heard several loud bangs on Saturday night before a Collier County deputy told people to move further down the street after deputies deployed tear gas.
"My full nose is tickling," Emily Moraga told FOX 4. "Not what I was expecting my Saturday night to be like.”
Both the Collier County and Lee County Sheriff's Office was on the scene. An LCSO spokesperson said Lee County is leading the investigation.
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