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Neighbors react after man barricaded himself inside home with baby

Neighbors react to police standoff
Posted at 12:38 AM, Dec 08, 2019
and last updated 2019-12-08 00:44:57-05

NORTH FORT MYERS, Fla. — “Something like that just don't happen it’s kind of a big thing,” said Sid Morrison a neighbor who lives nearby.

Today neighbors are reacting after a dramatic standoff. It was Friday morning when chaos erupted inside a home on Euclid Avenue in North Fort Myers. Lee County Sheriff's Deputies and a SWAT team arrived on the scene.

They say Christopher Watson was holding a small child hostage. Deputies say the man got into an argument with someone else in the home, which lead to him barricading himself with the 9-month-old-boy inside.

Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno says his team of experts used methods that left those hostage individuals inside unharmed.

“We resolved this issue, and I’m thankful to say we did it in a tactful way and a baby and a life is saved because of that,” said Marceno.

Sheriff Marceno says Watson was taken into custody. Today we also spoke with neighbors who say typically you don't see this type of commotion in the neighborhood.

“It just don’t happen around here, it’s a quiet neighborhood mostly elderly people maybe family disputes once in a while you might see one roll by but not like that,” said Morrison.

Morrison says the scene was very chaotic but he is glad the situation came to a peaceful end.