Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
World
Jane Dalton

Armed man surrenders following 10-hour siege after negotiator sings White Christmas to him

A Swat response team was held off for 10 hours until one officer's rendition of the Bing Crosby song ( Getty )

A man with a rifle who held off a team of armed police in a 10-hour siege gave himself up after an officer sang a Christmas carol to him.

Nathaniel Lewis, 34, allegedly started shooting at the specialised police who rushed to his home in Pennsylvania, US, when a relative reported him acting erratically on Christmas evening.

The shots hit a police vehicle, a house and another vehicle, and the Swat (Special Weapons and Tactics) team returned fire.

Chester County district attorney Thomas Hogan wrote on Facebook: “Over a long and cold night, they kept negotiating with the man, who eventually started shooting at the police and around the neighbourhood.”

During the wait, Mr Hogan took home-made biscuits to the Swat team, and the stand-off dragged on until eventually a negotiator got Lewis to surrender by singing the Bing Crosby festive classic White Christmas.

Lewis was taken into custody and reportedly charged with multiple counts of attempted homicide, aggravated assault and other offences.

Police did not say whether he surrendered because he liked the song or disliked the officer's rendition of it.

Agencies contributed to this report.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.