Man killed in police standoff in Pike

By FRITZ MAYER
Posted 12/4/19

PORTER TWP, PA — Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) shot and killed a man in Porter Township on November 27 after an hours-long standoff with dozens of officers. According to a press release, …

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Man killed in police standoff in Pike

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PORTER TWP, PA — Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) shot and killed a man in Porter Township on November 27 after an hours-long standoff with dozens of officers. According to a press release, police went to arrest Nicholas Cantelmi, 31, of Jim Thorpe on a warrant for a parole violation.

Police located Cantelmi operating a vehicle in Porter Township at about 11 a.m. and attempted to stop him by using the patrol vehicle’s lights and sirens. Cantelmi then reportedly intentionally struck one of the police vehicles and fled the scene. Cantemli’s vehicle stopped at a cabin on Pine Flats Road and he entered the cabin through the rear door.

Troopers obtained an arrest warrant from Magisterial District Judge Paul Menditto, charging Cantelmi with a number of offenses including aggravated assault of a law enforcement official.

Throughout the afternoon, troopers from Stroudsburg and Blooming Grove made repeated attempts to communicate with Cantelmi via loudspeaker trying to convince him to surrender.

The PSP Specialized Emergency Response Team (SERT) was activated to respond to the scene. SERT is a specifically trained in negotiations and in dealing with barricaded and armed suspects. The SERT team was made up of approximately 30 members of PSP including six troopers specifically assigned to engage in negotiations.

Negotiators sought to engage Cantelmi for about seven hours to convince him to exit the cabin. The team also used tear gas and flash and noise devices to encourage Cantelmi to comply with police orders.

The SERT team ultimately entered the cabin to arrest Cantelmi. The PSP press release said, “Initial reports indicate during the attempted arrest, Cantelmi brandished a firearm. At that time, a PSP SERT team member used lethal force to neutralize the threat posed by Cantelmi.”

Cantelmi was pronounced deceased at the scene by the Pike County Coroner’s Office. No law enforcement officers were reported to be injured during the incident. The Pike County District Attorney’s Office and the state police are conducting a joint investigation into whether the use of lethal force was justified, police said.

police stand-off, Pike County

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