Authorities used tear gas to flush an armed woman from a house in Commerce over the weekend, according to Commerce Police Chief Kenneth Harmon. Harmon released detailed information on the incident Monday afternoon.
COMMERCE POLICE DEPT. NEWS RELEASE:
“On Saturday, February 10, 2024 at 1:43 pm Officers responded to a neighborhood complaint of a disorderly person on Baugh Street.
When officers arrived the subject of the complaint, Dee Thomas Figueroa, a 60-year-old female, made threats to officers and barricaded herself in the house. Figueroa broke out the front window of her house and continued to threaten to shoot officers while brandishing what officers believed to be a rifle barrel through the front window. Officers secured the immediate area and evacuated residents from homes potentially at risk.
The Barrow County Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team and Hostage Negotiators arrived on scene and began to negotiate and attempt to deescalate the situation. Figueroa continued to remain barricaded in the residence. The Barrow County Sheriff’s SWAT Team (and) The Barrow County Sheriff’s SWAT Team introduced chemical munitions into the residence resulting in Figueroa’s exit from the residence. She was then taken into custody without any further incident.
Officers subsequently searched the residence and located an all-black, rifle style, air gun contained within the residence. Dee Thomas Figueroa was charged with 3 counts of Aggravated Assault on a Law Enforcement Officer and 3 counts of Terroristic Threats. The Jackson County Magistrate Court determined Figueroa was a risk to community safety and denied her bond. Figueroa remains in the custody of the Jackson County Jail.
The Commerce Police Department would like to thank the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and the Barrow County Sheriff’s office for their assistance in bringing this incident to a safe conclusion.”
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