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Cantonment SWAT Standoff Ends, Suspect In Custody (With Photo Gallery)
March 31, 2011
A domestic violence suspect is in custody after being barricaded inside a Cantonment home for about eight hours Thursday morning as a SWAT team and negotiators tried to get him to surrender.
Brett Justin Salter, 32, was taken into custody without incident about 12:10 p.m. A Sheriff’s Office robot that made entry into the home discovered that Salter was hiding in the attic of the home in 1700 block of Pauline Street. When deputies fire tear gas into the attic, he quickly surrendered. Salter is facing a variety of charges, including battery after an incident that began in the early morning hours. He is also charged with kidnapping, criminal mischief, burglary and larceny. He is being held in the Escambia County Jail without bond.
For a photo gallery from the scene, click here.
About 3:30 a.m. a woman called 911 from a Circle K in the 2000 block of Highway 29 to report that she was a battery victim. Deputies responded to the suspect’s home on Pauline Street, where Salter refused to exit the resident. The SWAT team was called to the residence about 7 a.m.
Throughout the five-hour standoff with SWAT, deputies could be heard on a loudspeaker saying “B.J., come to door” and “B.J., we have a warrant for your arrest.” Multiple rounds of tear gas were fired into the home over about a three hour period.
By mid-morning, the Sheriff’s Office robot had entered the brick home, giving deputies a look inside the residence. They were able watch a live video feed as the robot searched each room of the home. Eventually, deputies notice insulation on the floor of the garage and determined that Salter was in the attic.
According to court records, Salter has a long criminal history in Escambia County, including charges of lewd and lascivious act in the presence of a child under 16, sexual battery, resisting arrest, battery and disorderly conduct.
For a photo gallery from the scene, click here.
Pictured top: The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team at the scene of a standoff in Cantonment Thursday morning. Pictured inset: Deputies watch a live video feed from a Sheriff’s Office robot inside the house. Pictured below: A man kept deputies at bay for hours at this Cantonment home. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Comments
48 Responses to “Cantonment SWAT Standoff Ends, Suspect In Custody (With Photo Gallery)”
I would like to start off by saying God loves B.J. too. He who has no sin, cast the first stone John 8:7. I’m not here to defend B.J. because I was not there, neither were any of you. Why are we (as people) so quick to judge people? it’s sad but true. Instead of all of you PREYING on him, we all need to PRAY for him. God loves B.J. the same as he loves you and me. Have any of you ever done anything wrong? You might say yes, but nothing so brutal or so often. Do you know that each sin is the same in Gods eyes, your no better than B.J., neither am I. The unfortunate thing about B.J. is that his sin gets posted on the web for people judge, sad. I grew up with B.J. and its funny because his mom didn’t want him to hang out with me because i was bad news. I am now in full-time ministry because God had a plan for my life and He has a plan for B.J. as well. I hope I did not offend anyone but I think it is important that we start observing our own heart because we are all sinners and fall short of the glory of God. B.J.,love you bro.
Once again to April: His record speaks for itself. Please feel free to visit Escambia County Clerk of Court online public court records and see for yourself. This episode aside, he’s been proven to be violent with no regard for human life behind closed doors or behind the wheel. Good for your daughter if she was never hurt by this guy but too bad for the ones that were.
Hey Lori, The tears and fear were very real yesterday morning in circle K. Thankfully your daughter did not go through what that young lady did.
To Gonzalez resident… BJ would not harm a women! My daughter dated him! The Media’s wrong! For instance kidnapping a dog hello… If you don’t know the person being accused.. You have know right to judge him!! What happened to innocent until proven guilty! People are not suppose to JUDGE others!!!
To April, who said: “BJ is not a criminal! to start with! ”
Open your eyes. He’s a violent, 3 time convicted,drunk, felon who sees women as less than human. I sincerly hope this “nice person” spends some quality time in prison and doesn’t end up killing a woman.
I know they need to be safe but it was still overkill. Does anybody have a count on how many police were tied up for one man? There was no hostage and he wasn’t going any where. As far as his record goes it wasn’t too pretty but why the heck was she dating him in the first place? Watch her drop charges against him and say that she “loves” him, it happens all too often. P.S. If he did that to any of my family I would have taken care of him myself, no backup required…
Remember the last time a Escambia County Deputy went into a house where the suspect was armed. Three officers were shot and one of them almost killed. How much money for a life? Answer that question and then you have answered your question about do they need all that equipment. This one ended with smiles not tears.
BJ is not a criminal! to start with! He is a very good guy! All you people with these bad comments… Do y’all know him! Evidently not! The charges made are rediculous.. Kidnapping really it was the girlfriends dog! Come on ! The news media is so wrong! The truth of this incident will come out ! That’s all I have to say!!!!
Good riddance! This guy’s long rap sheet speaks for itself. Multiple domestic voilences, multiple DUI’s, assault, affray, resisting arrest w/ violence, the list goes on and on. Hopefully these new charges will violate his probation and he will get some serious prison time as a repeat offender. He’s earned it.
Way to Go Lynn! Ditto everything you posted. Saved me some time not having to post the exact stuff you did. We want you on our team.
i have a great idea: on here in stead of posting code names write your real name and we can make a list of people who do not want the swat team to waste money by ever coming to their house and forsure not to use those price high tools…. good idea right!
Wow! Has everyone forgotten the officers who were almost killed over the D.V. Call when they were shot? But u people on here r complaining about the swat having the right tools to Safely protect us citizens and their selves! How much money do yall think one officers life is worth? And Hey if u r complaining about the damage done to the criminal house- here’s an idea “DON’T BE A CRIMINAL”. Really people! And if u ever need the Swat team to help you Be sure and say “No Thanks it will cost the county too much”! Yea right!
It looked like overkill to me. Is this the kind of response we can expect at everybodys door when a call goes out?
I’m just wondering why there is a guy in a Gille’s Suit. Can anyone answer that one?
First let me say that I’m glad this situation was resolved with no one getting hurt….but when did we get the Terminator truck and R2D2?…and all the gadgets the deps have hanging all over them…reminds me of the overzealous boy scout leaders at summer camp. Did we really need ALL that stuff and manpower to deal with ONE person holed up in a house?
So just how much did this episode run the tax payers and who made the final call to approve it? The robot, come on now… Keeping up with the Jones’ is getting out of hand. What’s next? Neurochips for newborns, we’ll just nip crime in the bud, just a little reminder shock when they have a bad thought. Whatever it takes right? Money is no object, we’ll just borrow more and more and more.
First,
OUTSTANDING JOB!!!! Thanks to our ECSO professionals! SO glad your were able to defuse this successfully.
What a great testament to the skill, devotion, and high standards of service we are blessed with in this county. I am grateful for all our LEO’s and for the excellent leadership they receive from the Sheriff!
To all those who would complain, wine, and find fault with this… you really are sad. “Turn into a photo op”…. I wish he had, he deserves the recognition for a job well done.
Blessings to all our Deputies, Police, State troopers, and all those who lay their lives on the line to protect all of us every day…..
Roy in Walnut Hill and Joe, don’t be so quick to judge our law enforcement and question the SWAT team and how they handle calls. I know for a fact that we have one of the best SWAT teams and would completely trust my life to them. I would love for everyone to walk in their shoes and know that they were responsible for the safety of us all. I’m thankful that no one was hurt and another criminal is behind bars.
*thanks Lynn Stone for that support*
Responding to “surprised”
Give it a rest with the sheriff bashing. If he hadn’t shown up, you would have complained about that as well. Sheriff Morgan may not be perfect (who is?), but he’s doing the job we elected him to do. We had a very well trained team respond to this incident, nobody was injured, and the suspect is behind bars. Well done ECSO!
What a turnout for one guy.
How far in the hole (supposedly) is the Sheriff’s Department when it comes to funding? Seems like a lot of extra overtime is going to have to be justified on this operation. Robot?! C’mon, put the chopper back up with the FLIR & scan the attic, aviation fuel isn’t getting any cheaper!
Way too much bang expended to take down this one buck.
Wait, call it a “Real-Time Training Exercise” & get a block grant from the Fed.
I am surprised that Sheriff Morgan hasn’t turned this in to a photo op again somehow….
I’m just glad he’s in custody. You’d think with his past convictions he’d learn. Thats what our tax dollars go to these days. Housing & feeding people like him. Hopefully all of his “friends” will help him pay for a good lawyer.
making bad decisions can be a menace to the public. Asweet and caring man does not beat up on any one.And if he was innocent why didnt he just walk out?A long criminal record does not sound like a sweet and caring man.
I know both people involved in this personally, and news reports are not always correct. BJ is a very sweet and caring man and I know all of his past. He is far from a menace to society and really just makes bad decisions sometimes.
Replying to “really, a standoff ? even after they found out the girl was not there as a hostage? the police continue to do property damage when they do not even know if there is a suspect inside? there needs to be some better checks and balances as this is way out of control.”
When someone has committed multiple felonies and refuses to comply with police (not to mention could be of harm to himself) the police just dont pack up and take off. If someone is concerned about property damage they should have came out long before it gets to that, but I dont expect someone that makes comments like your’s to have that ability to rationalize.
Thank god no one was hurt. Men like BJ should be behind bars so they can’t ever hurt any one.
Seriously? I can’t believe folks are complaining about this – does anyone remember Deputy Jeremy Cassadys ordeal? You know, being at death’s door and all?
Sure, I guess a lone deputy or 2 in their kevlar vest could have ventured in to see what this sweet angel was up to – after all, what’s the cost of a life compared to the savings of not deploying SWAT?
Good job, LEOs – thanks for putting it on the line and getting this scuz
>>And you have to admit that the first picture of everyone all over the vehicle is a bit dramatic and the guys look like they are enjoying every minute of it.
It’s worth pointing out that the photo was taken just AFTER he surrendered as they were leaving the residence. Perhaps they were smiling because it was over and no one was hurt.
Looked @ his “public records” & he just got out of jail in Feb after spending a yr in jail..YEP..he does have quite a record of other offenses! Needs to spend some more..I still dont get the whole situation that occured this morning.
I know it is a bad situation and thank goodness no one was hurt. My next remarks would be very inappropriate if something horrible happened. But it didn’t and now everyone can relax and thank god. But, the sheriff’s department has to try out its new electronic toys once in a while. What is the sence in buying them if you don’t use them? And you have to admit that the first picture of everyone all over the vehicle is a bit dramatic and the guys look like they are enjoying every minute of it. Maybe it is a male testosterone adrenaline surge??
I can not believe yall are complaining because the police department is doing their jobs. If I have had this happened to me I would want their help. Some people just want to Always complain about something. NICE job protecting my community! Thank u all for doing a very dangerous job! God bless and Continue to keep yall safe!
This is the BEST up to date news media in this whole area….!!!! Keep it up!
wat did he do i herd he was an escaped convict
really, a standoff ? even after they found out the girl was not there as a hostage? the police continue to do property damage when they do not even know if there is a suspect inside? there needs to be some better checks and balances as this is way out of control.
he might have a gas mask on
Sounds like some gun shots.
REGARDING:
“Where is the copter, it was back?”
You want the copter to fly around the house and verify it is not moving?
David wondering regarding specific benefit
Nothing much going on I live around the corner and it’s pretty quiet.
How do they know anyone is even in the house especially if multiple rounds of tear gas have been thrown into the house and nothing happened. Maybe he left the house right after the female.
Just a thought…..
B. J. Salter? He lives next door to those apartments and has a long arrest record.
I am concerned for the support personnel at the scene. Both of my sons would be involved firefighter/emt……concerned for their safety, since I am unable to reach either
better not be you, bj salter. you’ve done some really dumb stuff in your life and have gotten away time and time again and you live right next to the apartment complex pictured here. we hope its not you
I’m a little curious as to why this is now a SWAT team issue with tear gas fired through the windows and the distinct possibility of a life being taken. It has already been noted that the original thought that he had a hostage has been dispelled as a myth. If the LEOs came to serve a warrant on another person for assault and battery and the person didn’t answer the door, the LEOs would leave and come back or catch the person on the street. What made this incident escalate so rapidly?
crime around this area is way out of hand. make an example out of this clown so we can have our community back. the lack of a real judicial system and to many slaps on the hand have gotten us to this point. people like this have no fear of consequences any more. its pathetic
Thank you for the notice. My childs school is on Pauline and thanks to North Escambia I didn’t have to travel down the street with my children. Thank you!!
thank God she got out safe from the nut
Where is the copter, it was back?
Thanks for always being on top of things William! I was wondering what was happening and I knew I could find out at NorthEscambia.com!