Gunman in Fort Worth standoff surrenders after shooting at lawn mowing crew, officers
A gunman who opened fire on a lawn mowing crew and officers held authorities at bay for almost four hours Friday before he surrendered, police said.
The man was arrested without incident about 12:20 p.m., and no injuries were reported.
Fort Worth police did not release the name of the suspect.
The man had opened fire on officers and mowers who were at his home to enforce code compliance because the grass was too tall, according to police.
Officers and SWAT responded to the scene in the 4800 block of Cedar Springs Drive in far north Fort Worth.
Code compliance officers who had a warrant knocked on the door at the residence about 8:30 a.m. in reference to a high grass violation, but nobody answered the door, according to police. After several attempts to get someone to answer the door, workers from an independent lawn mowing company began to work on cutting the grass.
Moments after they started, the man inside the residence opened a front window and began shooting at mowers, city Code Compliance staff members and police.
Police took cover and waited for backup to arrive. While they were taking cover, the suspect fired toward officers again twice, according to police.
Melissa Sandoval, a resident in the neighborhood, said she saw SWAT officers enter the residence and take the man out, then saw social works escort children out of the house.
“I would see their kids get off the school bus and see them walk down to the house,” Sandoval said. “So it’s kinda sad watching, I guess CPS, take those kids out of the house.”
She said she was just glad nobody from the lawn mowing crew or police was hurt.
Chris Morken, 30, who has lived in the neighborhood for a year, told the Star-Telegram the man who lives in the house has had conflict with the homeowners association for a while because he didn’t want to cut his grass.
“This is the craziest thing I’ve seen in this neighborhood in the year since I moved here,” Morken said. “The only other thing I’ve seen were some kids fighting on the corner. It’s usually pretty quiet.
“It was really odd to see police in riot gear running down the street in front of my house,” he said. “Guys in suits with guns — it was strange.”
This story was originally published July 16, 2021 at 12:28 PM.