RUSKIN, Fla. — The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office says one man is behind bars after a standoff with law enforcement in Ruskin.
According to Hillsborough Sheriff Chad Chronister, at around 4 p.m. on Monday, a mental health counselor called law enforcement asking them to check on a man named Sean Porter at a home in Ruskin.
Deputies arrived at the house but received no response and eventually left, according to Chronister. An hour later and authorities received reports of a man threatening to harm himself and others at the same house.
"For a little while it was an extremely tense situation because we didn't know what we had," Chronister said.
Chronister said investigators later learned an argument happened outside the home between four people, including Porter. The sheriff said at some point Porter retreated to a nearby barn, taking two people with him. The two people told authorities they were not held against their will but were afraid to leave, according to Chronister.
The sheriff said, at some point, Porter had discharged a firearm that struck the metal barn which resulted in a minor laceration on his arm.
After four hours of negotiation, the sheriff said Porter surrendered to authorities and was arrested for aggravated battery with a firearm. However, Chronister said no firearm has been recovered from the area yet.
According to jail records, he was booked in the Hillsborough County Jail and charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and possession of a controlled substance. He is being held due to the Florida Baker Act.
The sheriff's office later said Porter has a history of mental illness. And, he's been arrested before on charges including battery, domestic violence, false imprisonment and tampering with a witness.