Man surrenders after eight-hour standoff (Army Ranger, 2 tours in Iraq)

[IndianaGreen]

Source: WTHR-TV

Man surrenders after eight-hour standoff

Updated: Sep 29, 2009 9:39 PM EDT


Sgt. Carrera (picture courtesy National Guard)

Indianapolis - Police took an Indiana National Guardsman to the hospital following a stand-off with police downtown.

It happened near the IUPUI campus at the Lockefield Gardens Apartments. It happened in the 700 block of West Walnut on the west side of downtown, located between Wishard Hospital and IUPUI. SWAT teams, IMPD and IUPUI campus police were on the scene for several hours.

Police say the man was under an unusual amount of stress since returning from Iraq and that may have led to the SWAT situation.

Sgt. Jason Carrera, 26, held officers at bay for hours. Carrera was armed with a rifle. Police negotiators spoke through a robot sent into his apartment.

<snip>

Sgt. Carrera is an IUPUI student trying to get into nursing school. A former Army Ranger, he just returned eight months ago after serving two tours in Iraq. One of his best friends whom he served with committed suicide recently. His truck was car jacked last week and he was served with divorce papers Monday night.

Armed, angry and alone, Carrera sat in his apartment. SWAT waited outside, trying to open communications.

"Everyone we've talked to who worked with him say he's a good guy. The Guard says he is a very good guy. He's had trouble adjusting when he gets back. Definitely post traumatic issues," said Lt. Duhamell.



Read more: http://www.wthr.com/global/story.asp?s=11215689

---

Another of the many veterans emotionally damaged by the wars.

[Skittles]

1. Hoping Mr. Carerra gets help

[JohnnyLib2]

2. +1

[Louisiana1976]

3. Me, too--that's sad.

[IndianaGreen]

5. This happened less than a block from where I park on campus

We got a text alert from the university saying that the street was closed and the three parking lots near Carrera's flat were cordoned off.

I am glad that no charges will be filed and that Carrera is being treated with compassion and respect. This was an avoidable incident, but as it happens with many veterans, they are reluctant to ask for help when the world comes crashing down on them

There are tens of thousand veterans suffering from PTSD. We have a moral obligation to our former war fighters.

[wroberts189]

22. He will... thanks to the police who used unusual good judgement. nt

[madmax]

4. So sad, and for what?

Damn bush to hell.

[saigon68]

28. For the profits of Unocal

Oops that's Afghanistan--- Sorry

[madmax]

33. Thank you for your service

saigon68 :hug: I remember those painful years. My cousin and several high school friends served.

[fascisthunter]

34. for the wealthy shit stain investor class

that's what...

[WatchWhatISay]

6. He deserves all the help he can get - but nursing school is no longer and option, I'm afraid.

Nursing is a really stressful careeer. I can't imagine the board of nursing looking the other way on this. Wish it weren't so, but I believe he will need to find a new career.

[IndianaGreen]

11. I am not surprised he chose nursing

After two combat tours, it follows that spending the rest of one's live in healing others has a therapeutic effect of its own.

[wroberts189]

23. The poor guy...

Two tours in Iraq.

Lost his friend, his truck, and his wife.


I hope they go easy on him. Nobody died. He just freaked out. He needs help and we owe it to him.

[WriteDown]

32. This is bad to think...

but your post sounds a bit like a country song.

[wroberts189]

35. And if you wanted to torture me just tie me up and play that crap.

I would sing like a bird in 30 seconds.

[wroberts189]

25. My guess.. he is looking for redemption. I hope he finds it. nt

[The abyss]

7. The Face of The Enemy

Naked City.... Somewhere around 1961 or 1962

[lumberjack_jeff]

8. Good police work. n/t

[cliffordu]

9. I hope he gets the help he needs.

It's not easy to escape the abyss.

[Ozymanithrax]

10. Over a million men and women have served in Iraq...

This is the tip of the iceberg.

[BunkerHill24]

15. Indeed

...and, many, many Iraqi civilians have horrid stories to tell, if the media where to ask.

[Ozymanithrax]

18. PTSD doesn't just happen to soldiers.

The civilian population of Iraq will suffer for a generation.

[countmyvote4real]

12. These soldiers are the canaries in the coal mine.

To a certain extent it's been happening to all of us since the * administration. It's easy to explain all the "birther" and "teabagger" BS on racism. Somehow I think they are connected. At the least, those lunatics are canaries, too. These are dangerous times.

On the brighter side, Im glad Sgt. Carrera was approached with humanity (even if it involved a robot) and that he is still alive. All props are due to the local LEOs for their restraint and understanding of the situation. I hope that he can get the treatment he needs and move on with his life after * and the travesty of two unnecessary tours in Iraq. I hope that for us all. Most of us haven't been called to serve as Sgt. Carrera has. And yet it happened

I was going to say that we paid for it, but * didn't even do that. Although, we didn't really pay for it, it's on our balance due.

Karma will get you. It's not always bad if you pay it forward.

[EFerrari]

14. Definitely, the LEOs deserve all the credit in the world for their handling

of this call. TG he was taken to the hospital and not to jail or to the morgue.

[grahamhgreen]

13. Who are we torturing now...

[Old Hob]

16. get ready to hear more of these stories.

Luckily, this one turned out OK.

[d_b]

17. I hope he gets well

Fuck you, Bush/Cheney/Oil

[wroberts189]

19. The pubs just loved it when they "battle hardened" our troops...

It was eight hours in all from the time that 911 call came in - eight hours of uncertainty. It all began in the dark of night with a noise coming from Krista Hooper's back deck.

"I heard loud banging on my glass sliding door, so I went out there. There was a guy about my age, maybe 24, who was taking my patio equipment and throwing it against my glass door. At first I thought it was a guy coming home drunk and I didn't think it was hugely scary. I didn't see any weapons at the time," said Hooper.

But after calling police and seeing all the officers responding - "I saw about twenty cop cars instead of two" - Hopper said, "I realized it was probably a bigger situation."

Police now believe that Carrera, who was intoxicated, mistook Hooper's apartment for his own, and was trying to get in.

"He had several weapons. At one time he put one to his head. Officers backed out," said Lt. Jeff Duhamell, Metro police.

Sgt. Carrera is an IUPUI student trying to get into nursing school. A former Army Ranger, he just returned eight months ago after serving two tours in Iraq. One of his best friends whom he served with committed suicide recently. His truck was car jacked last week and he was served with divorce papers Monday night.

Armed, angry and alone, Carrera sat in his apartment. SWAT waited outside, trying to open communications.

"Everyone we've talked to who worked with him say he's a good guy. The Guard says he is a very good guy. He's had trouble adjusting when he gets back. Definitely post traumatic issues," said Lt. Duhamell.

Sgt. Carrera's parents arrived on the scene from Richmond and some of his battle buddies, as they are called in the Guard, began to congregate.

Word even spread as far away as Afghanistan.
--------------------------------------------------------------
off paste edit ...

Very few stories bring tears to my eyes. I am so glad it ended peacefully.

Its a good article READ IT!

btw knr


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more...


"We had a soldier call who is deployed in Afghanistan saying, 'I want to talk to him. I don't want him to hurt himself,'" said Lt. Deedra Thombleson, Indiana National Guard.

Outside, police began to worry.

"Right now we are at a standstill with him. He is not communicating with negotiators," said Lt. Duhamell.

"Come on, Jason. Pick up the phone. We are here to help you," negotiators told Sgt. Carrera.

At aruond 10:00 am, no one knew what was going on inside that apartment, but no one was willing to give up. In order to save lives, police turned to technology. They gained entrance into his apartment with a robot.

"He served his country well. Unfortunately he is having trouble dealing with it. Hopefully we can get him out soon and back to the hospital," said Lt. Duhamell.

Several fellow veterans who served with Carrera were on the scene to try and help him.

"I can tell you as soon as we found out this might be one of our soldiers, we were looking for what we call our battle buddy, which is somebody we deploy with and is somebody they're typically familiar with and they feel comfortable with to talk and help provide information to the negotiators, to give them some additional information about what that soldier's going through," said Lt. Thombleson.

"The robot went inside. Basically was on the couch. The robot took the blanket off him. He got up. We established communication and he came out on his own," said Lt. Duhamell.

Eight hours after it began, even longer since the divorce papers were served and the drinking started, the incident ended peacefully.

[wroberts189]

20. One more kick... and a thanks to the police who showed uncommon sense and intelligence dealing. nt

[earcandle]

21. I am glad to hear we have some capacity for empathy.

poor fellow.  I imagine they all suffer this way, and some
just got to make it plain.
Thanks, sorry for your trouble. 

[wroberts189]

24. The story is heartbreaking if you read it. Not many get me so emotional..this did. nt

[provis99]

26. jeez, that's a few blocks from where I live.

I know the area and the apartments well. IUPUI is a good state university that serves a lot of older students, poor urban students, returning vets, and returning students. Was a good place to teach, lots of serious students you don't see at some other big state schools. Hope they get this guy some help.

[shadowknows69]

27. Stuff like this has happened a couple times on our base.

When I was a cabbie I heard through the grapevine about a couple events that never really made the press. There were a few occasions they locked down the whole base because of some incidents with troubled soldiers. End this shit now President Obama. You can't ask human beings to be nothing but active killing machines for half their military career and expect them to come out ok. I thought the idea was peace through strength. Most of our men and women in the service now will never know the blessed boredom of peace time.

[Blandocyte]

29. A friend's suicide, carjacking, and served with divorce papers?

Holy crap. That's a lot of stressors piling up in a short amt of time.

[Odin2005]

30. PTSD is a horrible thing.

:(

[Blue_Tires]

31. i'm glad no one got hurt...

lost his buddy, his truck and his woman?? that's enough to make regular civilians snap....