Florida father dies after holding his two children hostage during an 18 hour standoff that ended with SWAT team firing shots and the home setting ablaze
- Sonny Ray Holland Senior, 43, barricaded himself in his Florida home overnight with his children, aged three and four, and did not let them go until Tuesday
- Gas bottles were thrown into the building by a SWAT team to force Holland to leave, but a shot was heard and the house caught fire.
- He came outside and shot at them before going back inside and dying because he could not be rescued from the fire
A Florida father has died after taking his two children hostage during an 18-hour standoff that saw shots exchanged with a SWAT team and their home catch on fire.
Sonny Ray Holland Senior, 43, barricaded himself in his Venus home overnight with the children, ages three and four, and did not let them go until Tuesday afternoon.
Police responded to a domestic violence call on Oliver Road at 9:40 PM on Monday and the victim had escaped. Holland refused to come out and crisis negotiators failed to convince him to surrender or release the couple’s children.
The Polk County SWAT team finally took control of the situation after more than 12 hours, and the children were released unharmed Tuesday at 4:25 p.m.
Gas bottles were thrown in to force Holland to leave, but a shot was heard and the house caught fire. He came outside and shot at the SWAT team before going back inside and dying because he could not be rescued from the fire.
Sonny Ray Holland Senior, 43, has died after taking his two children hostage during an 18-hour standoff in which shots were exchanged with a SWAT team and their house caught fire
The Florida father barricaded himself with the children, aged three and four, in his Venus home and did not let them out until Tuesday afternoon
Police responded to a domestic violence call on Oliver Road at 9:40 PM on Monday and the victim had escaped. Holland refused to surrender and crisis negotiators failed to persuade him to come out or release the couple’s children
Sheriff deputies initially tried to establish a perimeter and tried to convince him to come out because they were concerned about what he would do to the children if they entered by force.
Detectives obtained a search and arrest warrant for the property and Holland, a three-time convicted felon.
The crisis negotiations were assisted by the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team to get the suspect out or release the children, but he repeatedly refused.
The Polk County SWAT team took control after the standoff lasted more than 12 hours and the children were quickly released.
Liquid-based gas cylinders were then thrown into the property to drive Holland away.
But officers heard a gunshot and the mobile home started smoking and burning.
Gas bottles were thrown in to force Holland to leave, but a shot was heard and the house caught fire. He died because he could not be saved from the fire
The Highlands County Sheriff’s Office announced Tuesday that a person had barricaded himself and was holding children hostage in Venus
Holland walked outside and shot at the SWAT team, who fired, before immediately going back inside, the sheriff’s office said.
The building was completely on fire at the time and first responders were unable to enter and Holland died. An autopsy will determine the exact cause of his death.
The children were taken into protective custody and taken to a local hospital for evaluation.
Sheriff Paul Blackman said, “I want to commend our deputies, SWAT team and crisis negotiators for giving their all for 12 hours on this incident.
“I would also like to thank Sheriff Grady Judd and the Polk County Sheriff’s Office for allowing us to use their resources and give our deputies a much-needed break.
“Our prayers are with the children and the rest of the family whose lives were forever changed today.”
The incident is being investigated by the 10th Judicial Circuit Officer Involved Deadly Incident Task Force.
DailyMail.com has contacted the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office for comment.