Photo: Chester County Prison
“You can’t make this stuff up,”Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan wrote on his Facebook pageabout the near-deadly crisis that was averted with the holiday classic “White Christmas.”
When police learned that Lewis, a National Guard member, was armed, they called in a local SWAT team, the release states.
“Over a long and cold night, they kept negotiating with the man, who eventually started shooting at the police and around the neighborhood,” Hogan wrote in his Facebook post.
Armed with a rifle, Lewis shot at officers sitting inside and standing near an armored SWAT vehicle, hitting it, according to the release.
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What ended the 10-hour standoff?
Lewis, it turns out, had demanded that the SWAT team sing “White Christmas” to him, the release says.
When a negotiator finished the song, Lewis surrendered, according to authorities.
“This was a very different demand,” East Vincent Township Police Chief Matt Williams, who is also the head of the SWAT team, tells PEOPLE.
That’s not all. When the DA’s office was called to the scene to help in the investigation, “I brought Christmas cookies for some cold and tired SWAT team members,” Hogan said in his post.
“This being SWAT, they ate the cookies, made fun of each other, and went home to their families, quietly satisfied with a job well done,” he wrote. “All of Chester County says thank you. More news on criminal charges tomorrow.#chescojustice#weneversleep.”
Lewis was taken into custody about 7 a.m. Wednesday, the release says.
He faces multiple counts of attempted homicide, aggravated assault and related charges, according to the DA’s office. He remains held at the Chester County Prison, a prison official confirms to PEOPLE.
It is unclear whether he has retained an attorney who can speak on his behalf.
Williams, who says the investigation is ongoing, praised his team for saving the day. “I can’t be prouder of the way they responded,” he tells PEOPLE. “Incidents like these is why we train so much and are constantly training. Our goal is to save lives.”
source: people.com
