TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — A man has been arrested after he got into an altercation at the Waffle House on North Monroe Street Thursday night, fired a gun in the parking lot, and barricaded himself inside a nearby hotel.
The Tallahassee Police Department says around 10:50 p.m. on Thursday night, they were called to the Waffle House in the 3200 block of North Monroe Street for shots fired. When officers arrived, there was no active incident. While investigating the incident, police learned that the suspect was involved in an altercation at the business and fired a shot in the parking lot.
The suspect then ran into a hotel room at the Baymont by Wyndham Hotel next door. Officers tried to contact the suspect in his room but he refused to come out.
That's when members of TPD’s Tactical Apprehension and Control (TAC) Team were called to the location to assist. Repeated attempts were made to contact the suspect, who was inside the room, but did not respond to the officers.
Police say TAC team members deployed a noise flash diversion device to get the suspect’s attention. After a short period time, the suspect, identified as 26-year-old Joseph Lopez, came out of the room and was arrested immediately.
No one was injured in the incident.
Lopez has been charged with Carrying a Concealed Firearm Unlicensed, Discharging a Firearm in Public, and Resisting an Officer without Violence.
