CEDAR PARK — A man who police say shot three officers and held three family members inside a Cedar Park home since Sunday surrendered himself Monday morning after an 18-hour standoff.
The man, identified as 26-year-old Joseph Desean Taylor, was arrested around 9 a.m. after releasing his brother, sister and mother from a home in the 2300 block of Natalie Cove in the Heritage Park subdivision, said Interim Cedar Park Police Chief Mike Harmon. The home is west of U.S. 183 and north of West New Hope Drive.
Taylor, who police described as having mental health issues, is charged with three counts of aggravated assault on a public servant and three counts of aggravated kidnapping, police said. Each charge is a first-degree felony punishable with up to life in prison.
The incident began after Taylor’s mother called 911 at 3:10 p.m. Sunday saying her son had kicked in the door and was “becoming aggressive,” police said.
Officers arrived and were shot at when they entered the house, police said. The officers were able to fire back and leave the house, according to police.
More than 50 rounds of ammunition were fired during the standoff, Harmon said on Monday. He declined to say how many came from Taylor and how many from police.
Authorities identified the three officers as Jacqueline Quiles, who has been with the Cedar Park Police Department for four years; Cris Hester, a 10-year veteran of the department; and Nik Anderson, an eight-year veteran.
Quiles and Hester were treated and released from the hospital. Anderson, who was shot in one of his biceps, underwent surgery and was in stable condition on Monday, Harmon said at a news conference on Monday afternoon.
Harmon did not specify how Quiles and Hester were wounded individually but said a bullet grazed the head of one of the officers and another one hit the side of another officer’s vest.
Rod Hydro, who lives in the neighborhood, said Monday that he looked out his front window on Sunday afternoon and saw the three officers who had been shot.
“I saw three officers run from Natalie Cove to Apollo Lane where a fourth officer was,” he said. “One looked like he was grazed on the head and another was shot on the upper shoulder and the female officer looked like the shot had grazed off her chest,” Hydro said.
The incident triggered a large law enforcement response. The Texas Department of Public Safety; Texas Rangers; Williamson County sheriff’s office; Williamson County’s tactical team; the Round Rock, Leander, Georgetown and Liberty Hill police departments; and several emergency services and fire departments in the area were among those that assisted Cedar Park police during the incident, Harmon said.
Harmon said Taylor was releasing videos on social media while he held his family members inside the home, but police were able to get his access to social media shut down. Harmon did not say what the videos showed.
After the shooting, Taylor stayed barricaded in the home throughout the night until the next morning as negotiators tried to get him to come out and release his family. Throughout most of Sunday afternoon, a helicopter circled overhead and dozens of emergency vehicles lined the streets at Heritage Park Drive and Bagdad Road. Officials told residents in the area to stay in their homes until it was safe.
Around 8 a.m. Monday, police said Taylor had released his brother, sister and a small dog from the home.
Harmon said Taylor’s mother, who was the last of his three family members to be released, played a part in helping her other children get out of the house. He said officials were counting on her help to get Taylor to exit the house and surrender peacefully. Negotiators had a direct phone line set up to communicate with Taylor inside the home. Negotiations lasted about 16 hours, Harmon said.
“We don’t want anybody else to get hurt,” Harmon said at the time.“We want to get him the help that he needs.”
At 9 a.m., police announced that the standoff had ended peacefully. Taylor was taken to the hospital to be examined before going to the Williamson County jail. Taylor’s mother and siblings were not injured in the incident, Harmon said.
Police had responded to previous disturbances at the home, Harmon said. He declined to provide details about the calls. Taylor was charged with assaulting a family member in September but the charge was later dismissed, according to Williamson County court records.
The owners of the Natalie Cove home live in California, according to the Williamson County Appraisal District’s website. They did not respond to a request for comment on Monday.
Residents on Heritage Park Drive, a street away from the standoff, were surprised at what happened.
“It was very shocking,” said Mary Moffett. “I feel heartbroken for the three officers that were shot. Police take so much flak but they put their lives on the line.”
American-Statesman reporter Tony Plohetski contributed to this report.
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