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Matthew Skirka, 30, was arrested early on Wednesday morning following a standoff with officers after he kicked down his ex's door following a confrontation earlier on Tuesday, Feb. 13.
Officers from the department were called at around 11:15 p.m. on Tuesday night to the 200 block of East Main Street in Westminster, where there were reports of shots fired in the area involving Skirka and his ex-girlfriend.
According to police, the woman told officers that Skirka had confronted her earlier in the day, during which he grabbed and destroyed her cell phone.
It is alleged that Skirka came back to her apartment later that night wearing a ski mask with a handgun, banging on the apartment door. He was able to kick the door in, though the woman managed to flee to a neighbor's apartment and then her vehicle.
As she was attempting to drive away, police say that Skirka pulled his vehicle up to hers and began screaming at her, pointing the gun at her. He then got out of his vehicle and fired multiple shots from the handgun in another direction before threatening his ex and driving away.
First responders from multiple agencies tracked Skirka to his home in the 3900 block of Sykesville Road in Finksburg, where he refused to come outside, leading to a barricade that lasted until 5:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 14 when he relented, came outside and was taken into custody without further incident.
Skirka was charged with:- Home invasion;
- First-degree assault;
- Firearm use in a felony or violent crime;
- Reckless endangerment;
- Malicious destruction of property.
During the standoff, several roads in the area were also shut down due to the handgun being involved in the incident.
No information about Skirka's initial court appearance was released by police.
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