Gaithersburg Man Allegedly Tried to Get Officers to Shoot Him
The man who barricaded himself in his home on Sunday evening told police he had wanted to force officers to shoot him, according to a release from Montgomery County Police.
Jeffrey Allan Flaherty is being held on $250,000 bond charged with four counts of first-degree assault. Police said the man barricaded himself in his Gaithersburg home off Maryland Avenue about 7:30 p.m. and at one point pointing an “object” at police who had entered his home “in an effort to attempt to force officers to shoot him”, according to the report. Police said they later found multiple firearms in the home, including a handgun hidden in the basement ceiling.
The incident started about 7:15 p.m. Sunday when the Montgomery County 9-1-1 center received a call from a Germantown woman stating that her husband, Jeffrey Allan Flaherty, had threatened to kill her and her family members. She stated that he had access to firearms and was concerned for her welfare as well as that of her family, according to the report from police.
At approximately 7:26 p.m., Gaithersburg Police and 6th District officers were dispatched to 25 Maryland Avenue where it was believed that Flaherty was staying. A Gaithersburg officer arrived at that address at 7:27 p.m. Additional officers arrived, and after making contact with the occupants, entered the home. police said. Shortly thereafter, there was an encounter between Flaherty, who was in the basement, and police, who were in the kitchen, at the staircase that connects the basement and the kitchen. One Montgomery County 6th District officer Scott Feldman, a 24-year-veteran of the department, discharged his service weapon during the encounter, according to police.
After this event, Flaherty remained hidden in the basement and officers left the home, requesting that the Emergency Response Team, comprised of tactical and negotiation officers, respond to the home.
During the next few hours, negotiators attempted to make contact with Flaherty, who ultimately agreed to surrender to police and left the home where he was placed in custody at about 10:47 p.m. No one was injured during the incident, police said.
The facts and circumstances surrounding this event, including the firearm discharge, remain under investigation. Detectives from the Major Crimes Division, the 6th District Investigative Section, and the Internal Affairs Division are conducting the investigations. Feldman has been placed on paid administrative leave, which is protocol while the investigations continue.
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