Deputies de-escalate situation with non-lethal force
Some tense moments this morning in Mt. Airy during a standoff between a knife-wielding man and deputies.
Habersham County Sheriff’s Lt. Matthew Wurtz says the man wrecked his vehicle into a chicken house on Dick’s Hill Parkway. When deputies responded to the accident, they spoke with the owner of the chicken house who told them who the driver was. Deputies then went to the man’s house at 3990 Dick’s Hill Parkway.
A knife and a Bible
Wurtz says the man, identified as Joshua Libby (pictured), “refused to come to the door and was holding a knife and a Bible.”
”Several attempts were made to talk with Libby and he refused to speak with deputies,” Wurtz states in a press release.
Deputies obtained an arrest warrant on Libby for criminal damage to property. “Other attempts were made to contact Libby and he still refused to talk with deputies,” says Wurtz.
Officials say Libby was alone in the house.
Non-lethal force
Deputies entered the residence at 7:41 a.m., nearly two hours after the incident was first reported. They saw and spoke with Libby in a basement room. Wurtz says Libby had a knife in his hand and refused to come out of the room.
Deputies used a less lethal pepper ball launcher and struck Libby in the upper body. When he continued to refuse their commands, they launched more pepper ball powder into the room.
“Every time Libby crossed in front of the doorway where deputies could see him he would wave a knife at the deputies,” says Wurtz.
At one point, deputies fired a bean bag round at Libby from a less than lethal shotgun. Afterwards, he was taken into custody without further incident.
“We were able to resolve the situation without anybody getting seriously injured, including the suspect,” says Lt. Wurtz.
Libby tested positive for alcohol, according to authorities. He’s expected to undergo a mental health evaluation.
Libby is charged with criminal damage to property. More charges are pending.
The Habersham County Sheriff’s Office held a press conference Wednesday afternoon to provide details of the incident and to demonstrate the non-lethal weapons used to successfully de-escalate the situation.
To view a livestream of the press conference and demonstration, visit Now Habersham on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/nowhabersham/.
This article has been updated to reflect that deputies first encountered the suspect at his home, not at the scene of the wreck.
