Police: Man arrested after trying to take girlfriend, 5-year-old hostage
LARGO (FOX 13) - Police arrested a man who tried to take his girlfriend and her 5-year-old son hostage Saturday.
Police said they went to a home near Missouri Avenue and Auburn Street in Largo around 3 p.m. after a woman called 911, saying her boyfriend was holding her and her son hostage.
She said John Desormeaux, III, 43, was threatening to kill her and then himself, but she was able to then escape to a neighbor's home with her son.
Police cruisers and armored vehicles could be seen in the area for much of the day as the scene unfolded. Police said they established a perimeter and evacuated nearby homes.
They tried to talk to Desormeaux by phone, megaphone, throw telephone, and social media with no luck. Tactical Apprehension officers took over and went into the home through several windows. They found Desormeaux hiding inside. He was taken into custody around 6 p.m.
Officers found a loaded firearm described by the victim inside the bedroom where Desormeaux was taken into custody.
Officers later found out Desormeaux's girlfriend had an active protection order against him.