An 18-year-old man was taken into custody Tuesday afternoon after a tense, two-hour standoff with police in the parking lot of a McDonald’s along League Line Road, authorities said.
Officers with the Conroe Police Department responded around 2:12 p.m. to a report of an active disturbance in the 1200 block of League Line Road. Police identified the man as Jeremiah Lawson, who they said was possibly experiencing a mental health crisis and expressing suicidal thoughts while sitting inside a vehicle.
According to police, Lawson was armed with several knives and refused repeated commands to exit the vehicle. Officers attempted to de-escalate the situation, but Lawson remained noncompliant, prompting authorities to call in the department’s SWAT team and crisis negotiators.
“Due to Lawson being armed and refusing commands, the Conroe Police SWOT team was called out along with negotiators,” the department said in a statement.
During the standoff, Lawson was described as belligerent and made statements indicating “suicide by cop” intentions while communicating with officers. After approximately two hours, SWAT officers used less-lethal munitions to safely remove him from the vehicle and take him into custody.
Police said Lawson was placed under an emergency detention order and transported to a local hospital for medical evaluation and treatment.
While at the hospital, authorities said Lawson became combative and made violent threats towards officers. The Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office later accepted a charge of retaliation, a third-degree felony.
“Once Lawson is medically cleared, he will be transported to the Montgomery County Jail,” police said.
No injuries were reported during the incident. Police officials said the situation was resolved without further escalation.
“Chief Buckholtz and the Conroe Police Department are thankful that this tense situation did not escalate further,” the department said.
