Cape Cod Man Pulls Knife On Police, Faces At Least 10 Charges After SWAT Team Called

EASTHAM, MA — In what was the first of two events on Cape Cod that required the SWAT team to be called in, a Cape Cod man faces multiple charges after speeding past a local police officer at nearly 100 mph.

On Friday, just before noon, Eastham Police Officer Stephen Brown was conducting traffic enforcement on Route 6 in the area of Kingsbury Beach Road. Brown observed a vehicle traveling towards him at "an extremely high rate of speed" that was confirmed by radar at 98 mph, police said.

Brown recognized the grey Chevrolet pickup truck as owned by James Souza, of Eastham, as it passed him. Brown knew that Souza didn't have an active driver’s license due to several previous encounters with local police for driving with a suspended license.

Police attempted to stop Souza, but he turned right onto Salt Pond Road and continued at a high rate of speed. After a short distance, Brown discontinued his pursuit of the vehicle for safety reasons, officials said.

Officers responded to Souza’s residence later that day to attempt to locate him. The truck was in the driveway and officials requested a tow truck to the scene to seize it.

While examining the vehicle, Souza exited the residence, armed with a knife, and threatened the officers along with the tow truck operators. He then retreated into the residence, police said.

Officers established a perimeter around the residence, contacted Eastham Police Command Staff and the Cape Cod Regional SWAT team, all of which responded to the scene. Eastham police continued to maintain a perimeter around the residence and were eventually able to communicate with Souza through an open window.

Police, eventually joined by a CCRLEC crisis negotiator, carried on extensive communication with Souza lasting for almost two hours in an attempt to de-escalate the situation. After two hours, Souza exited the residence unarmed and was taken into custody without further incident.

He faces the following charges:

• 5 counts of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon
• Speeding
• Operating after Suspension, Subsequent Offense
• Failure to stop for Police
• Reckless Operation of a Motor Vehicle
• And other motor vehicle related charges