ELYRIA, Ohio — An Elyria man is in custody after a standoff at an apartment complex for several hours on Tuesday morning.
According to the Elyria Police Department, officers were called for a report of gunshots fired on Portia Court just after 5:00 a.m. When police arrived, they encountered a large disturbance of about 20 people gathered outside of an apartment complex.
During an initial investigation, Elyria police say they discovered that Joshua Cathey, a resident of the apartment complex, damaged several of the residents' vehicles in the parking lot. Cathey then went into his residence and apparently fired several rounds from a handgun through a second-story window.
There were no injures as a result of the gunfire.
Officers attempted to make contact with Cathey inside of the apartment, but he did not respond. As a safety precaution, police secured the area and repeatedly issued orders for Cathey to exit the apartment.
Cathey continued to disobey orders and remained in his apartment. The Elyria Police Department's Special Response Team was activated and responded. At approximately 10:30am, Cathey exited his residence and was taken into custody. Police located an adult female and three children inside the apartment.
Investigators executed a search warrant inside the apartment and found the suspected handgun used in the earlier gunshots that were fired. Officers also discovered that Cathey had several active warrants for his arrest.
Cathey was taken to the Lorain County Jail where he is being held without bond pending his first court appearance. He has been charged with discharging firearms on/near prohibited premises, having weapons under disability, aggravated menacing, inducing panic and criminal damaging.
The incident is still under investigation and police say more charges may be forthcoming.
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