Man who barricaded himself in SC home with woman and 3 children triggering SWAT standoff draws judge's ire

GAFFNEY, SOUTH CAROLINA: A man from South Carolina was taken into custody after hours-long standoff on April 17, during which he held a woman and three small children—one of whom was an infant—hostage.

According to Gaffney Police, a woman dialed 911 at approximately 8.30 pm and then hung up. Responding officers were informed by dispatchers about the argument they overheard on the phone, as reported by Fox Carolina. The man was later identified as Ryan Anthony Lyles.

Ryan Lyles held woman and 2 children hostage

Officers found that Lyles was armed and posing a threat to a woman, an infant, and two other children inside the house when they arrived on the scene.

 An official with the solicitor’s office said during Lyles’ bond hearing, “It quickly turned into, for lack of a better term, a hostage situation.”

Lyles allegedly pointed a gun at the victims, pulled the trigger, but the gun misfired, according to the solicitor's office. The scene was attended to by the SWAT team of the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office along with their hostage negotiator.

Officials started talking to Lyles via the front window. Officials said that during the standoff, Lyles concealed the gun in a vent in the living room and the lights in the house went out for a few minutes.

Ryan Lyles dubbed 'danger to community' 

Lyles is said to have released the victims at around 11.33 pm after which he was taken into custody. In addition to being accused of three counts of kidnapping, he is also charged with possessing a weapon during a violent crime.

Lyles' prior arrests include failure to stop for blue lights, resisting arrest, burglary, hit-and-run with property damage, and domestic abuse.

An official testified in court, saying, “I actually remember his name as it has come through the solicitor’s office several times. Mr Lyles is a danger to the his community, he’s a danger to [the victim] I’m sure, and there’s also questions that he may be a danger to himself.”

During the bond hearing, Lyles lost his cool and started interrupting the solicitor's office representative. The judge repeatedly told Lyles to keep quiet.