Updated with additional information from MCPD
A barricade situation in the Layhill/Aspen Hill area Sunday afternoon ended with a 29-year-old man taken into custody after several hours of negotiations with police.
Montgomery County Police say officers from the 4th District responded at approximately 3:33pm on Sunday, March 15, to the 14100 block of Punch Street for what was described as a domestic-related incident. According to police, the situation escalated when 29-year-old Daniel Abraha barricaded himself inside the residence.
Police initially advised that there was no threat to the surrounding community but urged residents to avoid the area as a large emergency response gathered in the neighborhood. Officers asked nearby residents to follow directions from police while the situation unfolded.
The Montgomery County Police Emergency Response Team (ERT) responded to the scene, and trained negotiators attempted for several hours to communicate with Abraha in an effort to resolve the situation peacefully. Police said he was alone inside the home and refused to comply with officers’ requests to speak with them or their commands to exit the residence.
As negotiations continued into the evening, authorities also asked residents and pedestrians in the area to remain inside their homes and avoid driving or walking through the neighborhood while police and Montgomery County Fire and Rescue personnel worked to safely resolve the situation.
After an extended period of attempted negotiations, officers assigned to the SWAT team entered the residence and took Abraha into custody at approximately 9:30pm, bringing the hours-long incident to an end.
Abraha has been charged with first-degree assault and malicious destruction of property, according to police. Authorities said additional charges are pending.
