Standoff with Sierra Pines Man Ends Peacefully

After a standoff that lasted about three hours, a man who had barricaded himself in a Land O' Lakes home was taken into custody at about 7 p.m. Tuesday, according to a Pasco County Sheriff's Office media alert.

Pasco County Fire Rescue initially had responded to a call about a man experiencing chest pain, sheriff's office spokesman Doug Tobin said.

When fire rescue arrived at the home in the 1700 block of Oakwood Court, the man threatened to harm himself, Tobin said. Fire rescue exited the home and called the Pasco County Sheriffs' Office, Tobin said.

The SWAT team responded to the home at 4:14 p.m. this afternoon, Tobin said.

A schoolbus scheduled to drop off about 30 elementary school children in the area was diverted to Oakstead Elementary at about 4:17 p.m., Tobin said. The bus was diverted in order to keep the children out of the area at the time.

The sheriff's office had been notified that the man did have access to weapons and was possibly armed, Tobin said.

Neighbors gathered along the street and expressed concern for the man and his family as the street filled with emergency vehicles. Multiple residents were forced to turn around at the barricade and find alternate routes to their homes while the situation was developing.

The identity of the man is not being released at this time, Tobin said.

No injuries were sustained during the standoff, the alert stated.