By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- A 39-year-old man is now in custody on various charges, including false imprisonment, following a nearly 4-hour standoff Wednesday night with police at a Daytona Beach apartment complex, Daytona Beach cops said.
Here is a synopsis of what occurred as described in an email media alert by Daytona Beach police: A SWAT unit arrested Stephen C. Shank within minutes of making forced entry into a residence last night at the Cape Morris Cove Apartments on the corner of Big Tree Road and Clyde Morris Boulevard.
Daytona Beach cops said it all started when Volusia County emergency dispatchers received a call at 7:39 p.m. from a woman claiming that Shank was having a mental episode inside the apartment, accusing her of controlling his television and cell phone.
While she was on the phone with 911, she told dispatchers that Shank got very agitated after he spotted first responders waiting outside the apartment building, saying that he was going to gun them down and set off a bomb.
Daytona Beach cops said it all started when Volusia County emergency dispatchers received a call at 7:39 p.m. from a woman claiming that Shank was having a mental episode inside the apartment, accusing her of controlling his television and cell phone. While she was on the phone with 911, she told dispatchers that Shank got very agitated after he spotted first responders waiting outside the apartment building, saying that he was going to gun them down and set off a bomb.
When dispatchers asked her to leave the apartment, the woman said that Shank threatened to harm her if she attempted to leave. She did confirm that there was no bomb in the apartment and that there was a firearm inside the apartment, but that Shank did not have possession of that weapon.
"DBPD’s Hostage Negotiation Team arrived on the scene shortly after the call for help came in and spoke to Shank for several hours," Daytona Beach Police PIO Messod Bendayan told Headline Surfer adding, "The decision to have SWAT force entry into the apartment around 11:30 p.m. and take Shank into custody came after he repeatedly refused to surrender peacefully."
No injuries were reported during this incident.
Shank is now behind bars at the Volusia County Jail, charged with a felony count of false imprisonment and misdemeanor charges of assault on a person 65 years of age or older and resisting an officer. He will be held without bond until his first appearance in front of a Volusia County judge later today.
About the Byline Writer: Henry Frederick is a member of the working press and publisher of Headline Surfer, the award-winning 24/7 internet news outlet launched in 2008, that serves greater Daytona Beach, Sanford & Orlando from Lake Mary, Florida via HeadlineSurfer.com. Frederick has amassed close to 150 award-winning bylines in print & online. He earned his Master of Arts in New Media Journalism from Full Sail University in 2019. He was a breaking news reporter (metro cops & courts beat) for the Daytona Beach News-Journal for nearly a decade. And Before that worked the same beat for The Journal-News/Gannett Suburban Newspapers in Rockland/Westchester counties, NY, dating back to 1989. Having witnessed the execution of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Florida's death chamber and covering other high profile cases, Frederick has appeared on national crime documentary shows on Discovery ID, Reelz, and the Oxygen Network series "Snapped" for his analysis. • Award-Winning Journalism: Florida Press Club recognizes Headline Surfer for nine stories in 2020 statewide competition. • Award-Winning Journalism of Henry Frederick.