THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 2, 1995 TAG: 9507020054
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE STONE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Short : 43 lines
The familiar voice of a police officer ended a six-hour standoff that began Saturday morning when officers tried to arrest a man on outstanding warrants.
Michael Lynn Harris, 37, gave up peacefully about 4:25 p.m. after Officer J.B. Sullivan, who has known Harris almost 18 years, spoke with him.
The standoff began at 10:45 a.m. when officers arrived at Harris' home in the 200 block of W. 34th St. They had come to serve arrest warrants on Harris, charging him with malicious wounding, brandishing a a gun, possession of a gun by a convicted felon, discharging a firearm in public and intentionally damaging private property.
Harris slammed the door shut when he saw the officers and refused to come out. Police, unsure if Harris was armed, sealed off the area and deployed a heavily armed emergency response team.
They knew that Harris had his 5-year-old son with him and that two other adults were in the house.
Police negotiators made contact with Harris and spoke with him repeatedly, but couldn't persuade him to come out. When Sullivan arrived at the scene, however, it took him only about five minutes to get Harris to surrender.
``The only reason he came out was that he heard the voice of this officer with whom he was very familiar,'' said police spokeswoman Moravia Ebon.
Harris was unarmed, police said. No new charges were filed as a result of the standoff. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
GARY C. KNAPP
Michael Lynn Harris surrenders to police after a six-hour standoff
Saturday in Norfolk. Harris refused to leave his West 34th Street
home when police arrived to serve him with a number of arrest
warrants.
KEYWORDS: ARREST ASSAULT VANDALISM by CNB