News
TAMPA — When police came for 23-year-old Marcqueez Beal, he ran for the attic. He knew he had outstanding charges, his roommates say.
Police quickly backed out and set up a perimeter as crisis negotiators and SWAT members headed toward the scene. They soon launched a 1 1/2-hour telephone negotiation, which ended peacefully Tuesday.
The charges stemmed from an incident Saturday when, police say, Beal choked and raped his girlfriend and held her against her will for about 11 hours. She escaped about 2 p.m. Saturday.
Beal ran off soon after she left, and when police searched his house at 2216 E 23rd Ave. that afternoon, they told his roommates about the charges: sexual battery, battery by strangulation and false imprisonment.
Beal sneaked back into the house through a window later that night, his roommate Clifton Forrester said Tuesday. He said he warned Beal: "Get out."
But Beal hung around, moping most of the time, Forrester said. And at about 11 a.m. Tuesday, police and U.S. marshals came looking for him.
A loud rapping at the door woke up Forrester and his girlfriend. They walked outside and told police Beal was still in the house. But when police entered, they couldn't find him.
They soon realized Beal had fled to the attic, which is common for fugitives, police spokeswoman Laura McElroy said.
Meanwhile, Beal called a childhood friend, who headed for the house. She handed her cellphone to negotiator Cpl. Mike Flynn, and he stayed on the phone with Beal for the next 90 minutes.
During that time, Beal said he had a 9mm gun and would shoot police and shoot himself, McElroy said.
Eventually, Flynn persuaded Beal to surrender. He told Beal to walk into the garage and lie down. Beal did.
When SWAT members moved in to get him, dozens of neighbors who had walked toward the police tape to watch started yelling: "They're moving in!"
Just a few minutes later, the team walked out with Beal. No shots had been fired. The group cheered.
Times news researcher John Martin contributed to this report. Jessica Vander Velde can be reached at jvandervelde@tampabay.com or (813) 226-3433.
Loading...
