Barricade, 7-Hour Standoff In Stafford Leads To Arrest: Police

Fredericksburg VA

14 February, 2022

12:04 PM

Description

STAFFORD, VA — A 30-year-old man from Burke was arrested on Monday morning after he barricaded himself inside a Stafford County apartment for seven hours, the sheriff's office said. Authorities originally responded to the apartment on Sunday night after the man, Steven Obajolu, was accused of assaulting a woman, a child, and a dog. Deputies responded to a home in the Garrison Woods apartment complex at 11 p.m. on Sunday night. A woman told police that she had an argument with a man, who was later identified as Obajolu. The woman told police that Obajolu assaulted her and her family members, according to the police report. The victim and her family members were able to leave the apartment and contact law enforcement. The woman, child, and dog were not seriously injured, the sheriff's office said. When deputies arrived on the scene, Obajolu barricaded himself inside the apartment, police said. Deputies determined that Obajolu was already wanted by Virginia State Police for a sex offender registry violation. He was also wanted by Alexandria City Police for a probation violation, authorities said. Stafford County's Crisis Negotiation Team made contact with Obajolu, but he refused to exit the home and threatened that he had a gun, according to the police report. The sheriff's office's SWAT and drone teams responded to the scene as deputies obtained additional warrants. The SWAT team used a remote controlled vehicle to open the apartment's front door and sent it into the apartment. Meanwhile, deputies breached the apartment's windows and sent drones inside. The sheriff's office claimed that Obajolu threw the robot and a drone out the window. Police claimed that negotiations with Obajolu stalled after he insisted he would not go back to jail. Around 6 a.m., deputies deployed OC gas in the apartment. About 20 minutes later, deputies deployed another round of gas, which caused Obajolu to leave the apartment. He surrendered to law enforcement and received assistance from fire and rescue personnel to wash off the gas. Obajolu was served his outstanding warrants along with additional charges including unlawful entry, two counts of assault and battery, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and animal cruelty. The sheriff's office said that additional charges are pending based on the damaged robot and drone. Obajolu is being held without bond at the Rappahannock Regional Jail. Have a story idea? Email me at [email protected] with tips, questions, comments, or concerns.