ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. (WAVY) — A man is in custody after an hours-long standoff Tuesday at a home on Fourth Street in Elizabeth City following a pursuit by law enforcement, police said, and a shelter-in-place order for the neighborhood has been lifted.
Johnathan Brent Foskey, 41, of Elizabeth City has been arrested and charged with two counts each of assault with a deadly weapon, assault on a government official, resisting a public officer and communicating threats, as well as one count each of felony fleeing to elude, breaking or entering, damage to state property and multiple traffic offenses.
The charges stem from a traffic stop that North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement special agents initiated on Grice Street in Elizabeth City around 12:15 p.m., but, instead of stopping, Foskey’s vehicle struck both the special agents and the Alcohol Law Enforcement vehicle with his vehicle as he tried to leave the scene, according to Alcohol Law Enforcement.
Law enforcement pursued Foskey, who entered an unoccupied home — not belonging to him — in the 900 block of Fourth Street in Elizabeth City, barricading himself inside and remaining there for several hours as he did not comply with law enforcement commands to surrender, according to law enforcement.
Around 6:50 p.m., Alcohol Law Enforcement special agents entered the home and arrested Foskey, who was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. No one from law enforcement was injured.
Alcohol Law Enforcement said Foskey has a history of criminal convictions in North Carolina, and is currently on supervised probation with the N.C. Department of Adult Correction.
Elizabeth City Police said the home was still an active crime scene, as law enforcement had surrounded it in pursuit of Foskey, who had been inside for more than five hours as people in the area of East Ward Street, Fourth Street and East Broad Street had been told to shelter in place, people in the neighborhood told 10 On Your Side. Fourth Street remained closed, Pasquotank County Emergency Management said Tuesday evening.
Law enforcement could be heard at 6 p.m. saying, “Come out with your hands up.” At 6:42 p.m., a large bang could be heard, followed by a second bang at 6:44 p.m. and a third bang at 6:46 p.m. A dog that was inside the house was out at 6:49 p.m. They also used drone footage to look for where the man and dog were inside, and the home was gassed in an effort to get the man out.
A neighbor, Alexius Drake, told 10 On Your Side’s Keagan Hughes that there was a car chase, and a car ended up in her front yard. A man got out of the car and ran down Willow Street, and the man ended up on Fourth Street in the unlocked house of Randi Blauvelt, who said no one else was inside her home except her dog, Sage. The car has since been towed, according to Drake.
Blauvelt said she had been on the Outer Banks and had been back in Elizabeth City for about 10 minutes when sheriff’s office called her. She said she was told that police had surrounded her house because Alcohol Law Enforcement officers had been following a man who was on probation, and the man ran inside her house, where he had been inside until early Tuesday evening.
Blauvelt said she asked police why it has taken so long to get the man out of her house, and she said police told her that they wanted to get him out peacefully.
In a public social media announcement, the Pasquotank-Camden Emergency Management advised people in the area to not leave their residence and avoid driving through the area until further notice.
Chopper 10 flew over the scene and saw a large police presence. WAVY’s crew on the ground saw the same thing, with officers wearing bulletproof vests.
