Lubbock Police officers were called out to the 400 block of Juneau Avenue for the report of a suicidal person Friday at 5:45 p.m.
LPD SWAT Officers were called to the scene at 7:15 p.m.
SWAT officers set up a perimeter and began to negotiate with a man who refused to come out of a home. Other nearby homes were evacuated.
At about 10:25 p.m., Billy French, 63, came of the home peacefully and was arrested. There were not reports of injuries. People who had been evacuated were then allowed back into their homes.
Lubbock Police issued the following statement early Saturday morning.
Around 5:45 PM, Friday, July 28th, Lubbock Police officers responded to a domestic disturbance in the 400 block of Juneau Avenue. Upon arrival, officers found 63 year-old, Billy French walking in an alley, behind his residence, with a handgun in his possession.
After ignoring officers commands to drop the weapon, French then went back inside the residence, with the handgun still in his possession, prompting officers to believe he was a threat to the public. Two additional residents who were inside the residence, were able to evacuate shortly after French’s re-entry. Upon contact with officers they made officers aware that French was suicidal – and that there were additional weapons in the house.
Due to those combining factors, the decision to call out the LUBBOCK SWAT Team was made shortly after 7 o’clock, with members arriving at 7:15.
Through the process, due to the concern that French was considered a danger to the public, officers evacuated houses nearby to ensure the public’s safety.
Throughout the evening, negotiators worked to ensure the peaceful surrender of French, which happened around 10:25 p.m. when he exited the house and surrendered to officers, without incident.
Once French was taken into custody, SWAT members then cleared the residence to ensure the area was safe. Once that process was complete, residents who were evacuated from their houses, were able to return.
