Crime In Charlotte, NC

On Tuesday, CMPD Officers went to serve warrants on 41-year old Charles Allen Hall at a home on Sugar Creek Road. The warrants were related to his involvement in several catalytic converter thefts.

Hall refused to exit the home and a 5-hour SWAT Standoff (Tax $$'s) ensued. Finally, Officers found Hall hiding in the attic and took him into custody. Hall was released two days later and he is out walking the streets of Charlotte.

Hall is one of Charlotte's most notorious habitual repeat offenders. His criminal career began when he was a teenager and he is still going strong at age 41... According to my calculations, Hall has at least 49 arrests on his NC record since 1983. He has served some jail time over the past 20 years but his charges far outweigh his punishments.

Charles Hall is another great example of how the NC Justice System is failing us! Hall is a career criminal who has victimized person after person for the past 25 years and he continues to get away with it! Read his record and see for yourself.
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Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department's SWAT unit successfully took an armed man and other individuals into custody following warrant service early yesterday morning at a house at 9816 Langston Mill Road in North Charlotte.

SWAT served the warrant for the arrest of Rafael Wilfredo Rivas (Shown R) at approximately 5:30am as part of an ongoing joint investigation between CMPD, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles. Advance intelligence indicated there were numerous weapons in the home in which Rivas was residing.

Gilberto Rivas, the brother of the primary suspect, fired at officers after they made entry in the house. One officer sustained minor injuries. An officer returned fire, striking Mr. Rivas. He was transported to CMC where he is being treated for critical injuries. Gilberto Rivas has five counts of attempted murder and six counts of assault with a firearm on a law enforcement officer pending his release from the hospital.

Rafael Rivas was arrested and charged with the initial crimes that were the subject of the warrant (Alter Title and Fraudulent Application for Title). He also faces charges for Possession of a Weapon of Mass Destruction (a 7.62-calibre assault rifle). Rivas is from El Salvador and in the country illegally. It is suspected he has ties to the MS-13 gang. ICE agents have confirmed that 11 of the 12 individuals detained for questioning are in the country illegally. More @ WBTV

Late last night, an armed robbery turned into a four hour SWAT standoff at the Hungry Howie's Pizza, located at the corner of Sardis Road N and Monroe Road.

Police say Robert Jeremy Caldwell (R) was armed with a gun when he entered Hungry Howie's around 11:45 pm and attempted to rob the business. A second employee called police. The victim employee was able to escape the building after disarming and fighting the suspect.

Caldwell would not surrender to police so officers called the SWAT team for assistance. Police say Caldwell tried to escape by climbing into the ceiling tiles of an adjoining building. Caldwell was arrested and charged with armed robbery and assault with a dangerous weapon.

Late Thursday night, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police responded to Cedarbark Drive in response to a 911 call about a domestic violence situation. According to police, a man and woman got into an argument when the man was shot at numerous times by 35-year old Daoloy Sorlaesith Bevington. (R) Thankfully, the woman had bad aim and the man was not injured.

When police arrived, the woman refused to come to the door. CMPD deployed the SWAT team and a negotiator contacted the woman by phone. Prior to SWAT arriving, the negotiator was able to coax the woman out of the home.

Bevington was arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon and resisting a police officer. She is currently in the Mecklenburg County jail.

Around 11:45 last night, the CMPD SWAT team responded to the Howard Johnson motel on Tuckaseegee Road. Police believe the men who were in one of the rooms were responsible for stealing a vehicle at gunpoint from a person at the English Hill Apartments on Albemarle Road.

The incident started when a CMPD police officer spotted the stolen vehicle in the parking lot of the motel. He went to the suspects' room to question them about the armed robbery. The suspects refused to open the door. Police then called the room and the suspects said they would not come out without a fight.

After a two hour standoff, the suspects finally came out of the room. Police found weapons, drugs, and the keys to a stolen vehicle inside the motel room where the suspects were holed up. The names of the suspects and charges haven't been released yet. Source: WSOC-TV

CMPD officers were busy chasing murder and robbery suspects today. Police believe the men they were chasing may have gunned down a man at Waterford Creek Apartments in east Charlotte around 8:15 pm Sunday.

The second possible case involving the suspects is a robbery at a convenience store on Albemarle Road on Saturday morning. In both cases, a similar vehicle was involved. The vehicle was reported stolen on Nov 20th. Police have not said these crimes are definitely connected.

It all began when police said they tried to pull over two men in a white Jeep Cherokee on Pineburr Road. Officers said the men refused to pull over, but the vehicle came to a stop after a tire popped near an apartment complex off Monroe Road near McAlpine Creek. The suspect and a passenger jumped out and ran. They caught the passenger of the car quickly. Police do not know if the passenger was involved in these crimes but they brought him in for questioning.

Police obtained information on the suspect and found out the suspect lived near where the chase began. As police began their search, Reverse 911 calls went out to people who live in the area- telling people to stay in their house. SWAT, K-9, undercover officers, detectives and uniformed officers canvased the neighborhood looking for the suspect.

The SWAT team surrounded the suspects house and gained entry only to discover the suspect ran into the woods. Police quickly found their suspect hiding in the woods. He was arrested and brought downtown for questioning about what happened Sunday night when Baltazar Francisco Sebastian was gunned down steps away from his home.

Police have apprehended and questioned seven people after a high-speed chase and armed standoff this afternoon. So far, three people have been arrested- two men and one woman. Photographer Jonathan Jones was on scene to provide us with shown photos.

Around 1:40 pm, police spotted a vehicle they believe was involved in recent robberies. The suspects attempted to evade the officers by speeding away. The four suspects led police on a high-speed chase that lasted for about fifteen minutes, during which the suspects sped along the interstate and then onto Billy Graham Parkway – where at one point they crossed the median and were driving the wrong way.

The chase ended after the car turned into the Steele Meadows subdivision. After crashing into two mailboxes, the four suspects jumped from the moving vehicle. Two suspects were arrested immediately with one arrested just outside the car. A second suspect attempted to enter a home through a back door, but did not gain entry. He ran into a wooded area behind the home and was caught by police.

The two remaining suspects hid inside a home near the crash scene and were believed to be armed. They remained holed up for over an hour as police surrounded the home. The SWAT team and negotiators were called to the scene.

Police said that the two men came out of the house and were arrested by police around 3:30 pm. According to police officials, three people were in the home when the suspects entered. All three were escorted from the home by SWAT. It is not clear if they had any involvement in the crimes.

Arrested:
* Eric R. Clay is facing several charges including possession of a stolen vehicle, fleeing arrest, reckless driving and speeding.
* Sharika Quanchez Byrd, who is pregnant, was charged with resisting arrest.
* Dave Cousart was charged with several outstanding warrants from offenses committed prior to today's incident.

**VIEW MORE PHOTOS
** VIEW VIDEO (WCNC)

Photos By: Jonathan Jones
News Source: News 14 Carolina

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police and the Gastonia Street Crime Unit were on the hunt today in Charlotte for 19 year old murder suspect, Kenneth Barry. Photographer Jonathan Jones was there to capture the team attempting to locate and apprehend Barry.

Barry was taken into custody by the team in Charlotte this afternoon. Barry is charged with first-degree murder and malicious assault. Police said Barry shot Demarreo Beard on Thursday at the Green Manor Apartments. Barry also shot at another person but missed. Police believe Barry shot Beard over stolen wheel rims. Photo: Jonathan Jones

Police were was called out to 4600 Sharon Chase at the Sharon Chase Condominium complex in reference to a 911 call with a report of shots fired. The Hickory Grove Division officers responded to the call. When officers arrived on-scene, they were told by neighbors that additional shots had been fired and that they heard someone inside yelling.

Officers approached and knocked on the door and they saw someone look out the window. The CMPD SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics team) was called out and secured the building. The entire building where the shots were fired was evacuated. The "CMPD GEO NOTIFY" system was used to contact residents in the area to make them aware of the situation and tell them to stay inside their homes. Also, authorities shut down Sharon Amity Road between Kimmerly Glen Lane and Sharon Chase Drive during the standoff.

After being given commands by SWAT on a PA system, two hours later, the armed subject came out of the building peacefully. The other people inside the residence also came out and stated that they were not threatened by the armed subject. Police found an assault rifle, but no one would talk about what happened so the police are unable to charge anyone at this point. Photos By: Jonathan Jones

UPDATE: An eight-hour police standoff ended Friday evening when SWAT team officers entered an apartment on Esther Drive around 7:30pm and found Lampkin lying dead on the second floor with a semi-automatic pistol near him on the floor.

Police identified the man late Friday night as Tobias Lampkin. (L) Lampkin is a convicted felon with a lengthy arrest record for armed robbery, assault and several auto thefts. The medical examiner will perform an autopsy to determine the cause of death.
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A dangerous standoff between police and an armed suspect in west Charlotte has led authorities to evacuate 20 area residents. Police called Charlotte Area Transportation System(CATS) buses to help with the evacuations. The residents were taken to Westview Christian Church at the intersection of Freedom and Lundee. One person was not evacuated, but he was told not to leave his home.

Toddville Road was closed from CSX Way to Freedom Drive for several hours, but is now open even though police are still trying to negotiate with the man.

Authorities said the standoff started when the Violent Criminal Apprehension Unit tried to serve a warrant on a suspect in a 2005 armed robbery around 11 a.m. The man wasn't home, but police found him driving around Charlotte and chased him back to his house on Esther Lane, officers said. The man went into the home and has not emerged. He even attempted to shoot at Special Weapons and Tactics team members that arrived on the scene, police said. Fortunately, no one was hit.

SWAT officers shot back, but they do not know if the suspect was struck. More police have been called to the scene. Authorities also said they arrested someone inside the home on unrelated charges. Source: WSOC-TV

A husband and wife are safe after being kidnapped by another couple overnight, according to police. The hostage situation happened in the 3000 block of Forest Brook Drive in west Charlotte.

Police said a boyfriend and girlfriend held a husband and wife hostage. The suspects let the wife out to go get money to pay for her husband's release. The wife called 911 instead. SWAT team officers and crisis negotiators responded to the scene.

The male suspect initially said he was prepared for a standoff, but when the SWAT team deployed in full body armor with sniper support the alleged hostage takers gave themselves up. Police have taken the suspects into custody. Source: WCNC

Police say a man is dead after a 23 hour standoff in Huntersville, NC. A man had barricaded himself in a van off of Old Statesville Road. The man reportedly took his own life.

It all stemmed from an incident that happened around 8PM on Friday. According to police, officers were called to investigate a domestic situation in the Huntersville area. Upon arriving at the scene, Huntersville Police pulled over a van. A man got out of the van armed with a rifle and fired shots into the air. He then barricaded himself inside his van in a fenced area. Swat officers were called to the area. Police used mechanical devices with small cameras to look inside the van. That's how they were safely able to determine that the man was dead before entering the van.

Part of Old Statesville Road near McCord Road was blocked off during the entire standoff. We are waiting to hear if residents evacuated from the barricaded area will now be let back into their homes. The standoff was near the North Mecklenburg Park, Christ Community Church and Huntersville Christian Academy.

Source WSOC-TV & WCNC