Charlotte-Mecklenburg police SWAT team searches east Charlotte for unnamed suspect
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department’s SWAT team on Thursday searched for a person at Kelson Place Apartments in east Charlotte.
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The search began sometime around 9:15 a.m. and led CMPD to deploy both SWAT and a negotiations team. The call began after officers initially responded to a domestic violence call involving a weapon, and lead to an increase in police presence.
During the operation, CMPD and the Charlotte Fire Department shut down the entrance road to the Kelson Apartments, preventing vehicles from entering as officers searched two separate apartments.
A CMPD helicopter also flew over the scene.
At the scene, CMPD brought in three armored vehicles and a mobile tactical shield designed to transport officers into potentially hazardous situations. Officers were seen carrying assault rifles and searching apartments.
Small groups of people watched the scene, and officers declined to provide information to residents other than that they were searching for someone in the complex.
At three points, commanding officers briefly spoke with the media and indicated they lost track of the suspect before the search resumed in another area of the apartment complex.
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Throughout the operation, flashbangs were heard during breaches as officers searched apartments.
Matthew Gray, a trash collector at the apartment complex, spoke with the media about arriving that morning and realizing something was happening.
“I showed up and they said I couldn’t do the work today I was supposed to do because there was a standoff,” Gray said. “Throughout this last hour or so, I’ve heard flashbangs and all the BearCats and activity that went down.”
After police determined the suspect was no longer in the area, CMPD called off the search.
CMPD is still actively investigating the case, and The Charlotte Observer will follow up with confirmed information as more details become available.
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