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Man served 32 arrest warrants in custody after hourslong SWAT standoff

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Police descended on an apartment complex in southeast Charlotte after they said a man barricaded himself inside a unit for hours Thursday.

Now, 30-year-old Todd Houston is barricaded inside a jail.

Police said officers got behind a Dodge Charger just after 9 a.m., attempting to serve 32 felony arrest warrants on Houston but he sped off.

Police said Houston surrendered and was taken into custody after he barricaded himself inside the McAlpine Ridge Apartments on Krefeld Drive, off Independence Boulevard.

Houston's record shows that he likes to run and has been fairly successful at staying ahead of the law.

However, a local court watchdog group questions whether the law actually gets in its own way.

Earlier this month, court records show Houston was issued a summons, which is almost the equivalent of getting a parking ticket or speeding ticket.

"Well, our system isn't working,” said Cheryl Jones, with Courtwatch. “To be real honest, it is broken."

Houston is facing dozens of charges, including larceny, identity theft, burglary and violation of a domestic violence protective order.

"I would rather err on that side than to go, ‘Well, he might not do that,' we don't expect him to that and then you see what you get,” Jones said.

Last year, the legislature changed the way arrest warrants could be issued to reduce the number of citizen-issued warrants.

Some officers feel it has hampered their ability to do their job. Courtwatch has monitored the process and is uncomfortable with the number of summonses issued for domestic violence.

"Somebody is going to get killed, and when that happens, you can bet we're going to be pointing the finger at the person who issued that summons,” Jones said.

Chopper 9 Skyzoom flew over the scene around 11 a.m. on Thursday and watched as officers positioned themselves behind vehicles in the parking lot with their rifles drawn.

Officers said Houston stopped the car at the apartment complex and jumped out. Detectives said they found him in a stairway armed with a handgun. He then ran into what's believed to be an empty home.

"He was in a hurry. Because his car was, just, threw it in park and hopped out and he was gone," tenant Brandon Tann said.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said members of the SWAT team were called to the apartments as officers worked to diffuse the situation.

"This complex here is safe. There is no crime here. People keep our doors open," a neighbor, who didn't want to be identified, said.

Neighbors were evacuated from their homes and school buses were blocked from dropping off children because of the hourslong standoff.

The apartment complex is near the Carolina Volkswagen dealership off Independence Boulevard.

Police said this situation was related to a scheme targeting car dealerships that Channel 9 has covered.

[RELATED: CMPD searching for man accused of stealing multiple cars from dealerships]

Sources said Houston goes to dealerships and take cars for a test drive. He then reportedly keeps the real key, giving the salesperson a fake key back.

Police said he went to the Carolina Volkswagen on Wednesday night and drove away with the same Dodge Charger he ditched at the apartment complex.

Officers said Houston, who is a convicted felon, was found in possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number when he was arrested.

Houston was taken to police headquarters to be interviewed by detectives. After the interview is finished, he'll be taken to the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office for charges related to this incident.

Check back with wsoctv.com for updates on this story.

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