CHARLOTTE, N.C. — On Monday, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department released body-worn camera footage and other videos from a 2023 SWAT incident. It comes after a judge ordered the footage to be released, based on a court petition.
The incident happened on March 11, 2023; the standoff lasted over 30 hours.
Police originally responded to the scene on Griers Fork Drive around 8 a.m. after reports of a person making threats, and police said they received multiple calls that a person was threatening to kill his neighbors. When officers arrived, they tried to make contact but the person, identified as Anh Thai, refused to leave. Officers also learned he was armed.
CMPD has previously responded to this home 46 times, according to the department, and had the the CMPD Community Policing Crisis Response Team had been involved in situations relating to the person on 13 occasions. The person also had an outstanding order for arrest, according to CMPD.
On the March 11 incident, CMPD said the department utilized other resources including the Community Policing Crisis Response Team, which helped obtain an Involuntary Commitment Order and two additional arrest warrants for communicating threats.
The CMPD SWAT Team responded to the scene around 11:30 a.m. Hours later, around 5 p.m. police said the man "presented himself in the front doorway with a handgun" and a SWAT officer fired one round in response. The person was not injured, but did go back into the home. SWAT negotiations went through the night into Sunday afternoon.
Around 1:30 p.m. on March 12, the man left the home and was taken into custody. He was later taken to a mental health facility to be treated.
The videos released Monday include 911 calls related to the incident, aerial footage of the scene, body camera footage from officers at the scene including an officer talking on the phone with the suspect, and more. The playlist of videos released from CMPD can be viewed below. Viewer discretion is advised.
CMPD said the department's homicide unit led the investigation, and no criminal charges are being filed against the officer involved. CMPD Internal Affairs also determined the shooting was justified after an internal investigation.
If you or a loved one are facing thoughts of suicide or self-harm, there is help readily available. You can call Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or chat with them online. There are also resources in North Carolina available here and in South Carolina available here.