Man in West Columbia Friday standoff accused of threatening to shoot woman who was walking dog
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A man who was arrested following an hours-long standoff Friday at a West Columbia apartment complex has been charged with two felonies.
Michael Whited, 59, of Columbia, was charged with second-degree making a terroristic threat, resisting arrest and three counts of misdemeanor fourth-degree assault.
He was arrested on Friday and was brought to an area hospital for a precautionary screening, police said on Friday night. Court documents say he was placed on a 96-hour hold at University Hospital for a mental evaluation.
According to the probable cause statement, the victim told police that she was walking her dog around 6:50 a.m. Friday at Ash Street Apartments when Whited pulled out a rifle and threatened to shoot her and the dog. The victim claimed they never met or interacted with Whited prior to him pulling out the gun, court documents say.
The victim ducked away and hid for cover while Whited threatened to shoot, the statement says. Two people saw Whited point the gun and Whited then pointed it at another person who saw him, the statement says. Whited allegedly was looking into windows of vehicles in the parking lot of the complex, as well, the statement says.
Another person described as “SUBJECT 1” in court documents saw Whited go in and out of the building he resided and was contacted by several people about him having the gun, the statement says. That person was able to put together Whited was the man with the gun based on descriptions given by the victims, the statement says.
That person also stated in court documents that Whited was heard screaming through apartment walls the night before. That person also stated Whited went to the main office of the complex and screamed about wanting to kill his coworkers in February, the statement says.
Police went to Whited’s apartment around 9 a.m. and he allegedly refused to open the door and told them “come back later or you’re dead,“ court documents say. He also made references to “demons,” according to the statement.
A standoff then occurred for several hours. Once police entered the apartment, they found Whited barricaded in his bathroom and found a gun in the apartment.
