Standoff: Man Held Woman Against Will In Apartment In Westchester, Police Say

After several hours of negotiations, a man surrendered to police after holding a woman against her will in a Westchester County apartment, authorities said.

The incident happened on East 4th Street in Mount Vernon.
Photo Credit: *Google Maps street view/Pixabay via Diego Fabian Parra Pabon*

Ben Crnic

02/10/2023 4:00 p.m.

The incident started in the early morning of Friday, Feb. 10, around 3 a.m., when distressed family members told Mount Vernon Police that a woman was being held against her will at 29 East 4th St. and had sent concerning text messages about the situation.

Several officers and members of the department's Police Emergency Services Unit then established a perimeter around the apartment and began negotiations with the suspect. After several hours, the woman was released from the apartment. However, the suspect refused to come out and remained locked inside the building, Mount Vernon Police said.

Finally, around 1 p.m., police convinced the suspect to surrender after more negotiations, and he was taken into custody.

The suspect, identified as 28-year-old Mount Vernon resident Lahquan Palmer, was charged with the following:

Second-degree kidnapping;
First-degree criminal use of a firearm.

Police added that Palmer has a criminal history consisting of weapons possession, reckless endangerment, and robbery arrests.

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