Standoff at Walmart parking lot in Lumberton, New Jersey, ends with Florida man charged
A 38-year-old Florida man was arrested and charged following a 15-hour standoff at a Walmart parking lot in Lumberton, New Jersey, Tuesday afternoon.
Police said Blake Reed has been charged with robbery, unlawful possession of a weapon, certain persons not to possess a weapon and obstruction.
The standoff began Monday around 11 p.m. as officers responded to the Walmart Parking lot off Route 38 between Savory Way and Kingston Drive for the report of a dispute between two people, which escalated to a robbery, police said.
According to police, Reed entered an RV and then refused to exit the vehicle or communicate with law enforcement. Officers at the scene also received information that Reed might've had a flamethrower or another weapon inside the RV, police said.
Out of an abundance of caution, police said officers surrounded the area to ensure public safety.
Personnel from New Jersey State Police and the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office responded to the scene, along with a trained crisis negotiator and mental health professionals.
Reed was taken into custody without incident when SWAT teams used a robotic battering ram around 2:30 p.m. and smashed their way into the RV. He suffered minor injuries and was taken to a local hospital, according to police.
A woman named Kay at the scene said she's known Reed since he was a child.
"He's like my son," Kay said. "I've known him since he was a little baby. And he's a great guy, and this is just a flukey thing that happened to him, and praise God he's OK. These guys, they did what they had to do, and we're all going to surround him with our love and get him a new motor home. That's what we got to do. And he'll be fine; we'll take care of him."
The standoff was an isolated incident and there was no known danger to the general public, officials said.
The standoff is under investigation by Lumberton Township Police, the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office and New Jersey State Police.
