Racine tactical situation; armed man accused of entering neighbor's home
Matthew Andersen
RACINE - A Racine man is charged following an hours-long standoff in Racine on Sunday, Jan. 12. Prosecutors said 48-year-old Matthew Andersen entered a neighbor's home with a gun – which led to a tactical situation.
Case details
What we know:
According to the criminal complaint, Racine police responded to the area near Geneva and Hagerer streets that day for an incident involving a firearm. When police arrived at the scene, they spoke with a resident who stated that his neighbor, later identified as Matthew Anderson, had entered his home with a gun.
The resident stated that he heard banging on the door of his home and opened the door to see Andersen standing outside yelling "open the door," the complaint states. He was wearing black and had his face covered. He also had a gun in his hand that he was attempting to conceal, court filings say.
SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News
The resident says he shut and locked the interior and exterior doors. That's when Andersen allegedly began pounding and pulling on the door again. Per the complaint, Andersen broke the lock on the screen door and then began pounding on the interior door.
At one point, a piece of glass shattered and Andersen was able to reach inside and unlock the interior door and gain entry to the home, the complaint states. Once he gained entry, an occupant of the home yelled that they were calling the police and Andersen fled from the home.
Tactical situation
Timeline:
Officers were able to speak with Andersen's wife and learned that he did own a firearm. She also stated that Andersen had been using cocaine recently and was suicidal. Officers made unsuccessful attempts to speak with Andersen on his cell phone.
Additional officers and a negotiation team responded in an effort to have Andersen exit the residence.
According to the complaint, while officials attempted to communicate with Andersen, he would come to the door when called, but disregarded orders to exit the home with his hands raised. At one point, Andersen came to the door and began to count the number of officers outside, court filings say.
An officer reports that he attempted to contact Andersen via telephone 134 times.
Racine tactical situation resolved near Geneva and Hagerer streets
There was a significant police presence near the intersection of Geneva Street and Hagerer Street in Racine on Sunday, Jan. 12.
The complaint states that officers attempted to make contact with Andersen for approximately 2.5 hours. At that point, officials deployed irritant gas into the home in an effort to coax Andersen out. He did not exit the residence. That's when members of the SWAT team went into the home and located Andersen lying naked on a bed.
Per the complaint, Andersen ignored the officer’s commands to show his hands and surrender. Officers used non-lethal equipment and were eventually able to secure Andersen.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX6 News app for iOS or Android
While in the home, officers located what appeared to be a beretta firearm; however, they later determined that it was not a real firearm. Officers also found approximately 2,500 rounds of ammunition in the house.
Andersen's stepson stated that he did have a firearm in the home that had been stolen. He also stated that his firearm did not take any of the ammunition located in the home.
In court
What's next:
Andersen made his initial appearance in court on Jan. 16, and his cash bond was set at $100,000. In all, he is charged with:
- Burglary of a building or dwelling, use of a dangerous weapon
- Failure to comply with officer's attempt to take person into custody
- Pointing a firearm at another
- Criminal damage to property, use of a dangerous weapon
- Criminal trespass, use of a dangerous weapon
The Source: The information in this post was provided by the criminal complaint in this case – as well as online court records.