Florida man barricades himself in home during standoff with police; witnesses report shots fired

Monday, November 13th 2006, 7:12 pm

By: News On 6

HOMESTEAD, Fla. (AP) _ A man barricaded himself in a home Monday during a standoff with police, causing a school to be locked down, officials said. Witnesses said shots were fired, but no injuries were reported.

The man, who was not identified, was reportedly wanted for firing shots at two Florida City police officers during a chase on Saturday, authorities said.

Ben Morgan, a park ranger who lives near the scene, wandered outside Monday to find out what was going on near the middle school his son attends.

He said he heard four to six shots go above his head as he hid behind a car.

``It's always disconcerting to hear live fire come over your head,'' said Morgan, 56. ``You never forget the sound.''

About 3,000 nearby students were affected, said John Schuster, spokesman for the Miami-Dade school district. The middle school was locked down, but parents were allowed to pick up their children. At two elementary schools, children could leave only if their parents picked them up or their bus route was out of the standoff area.

Police believe the suspect and another man fired at police in the Saturday incident, and at least one of them used an AK-47 assault rifle, Florida City Sgt. Barbara Barrett said.

One of the men was arrested Monday and charged with attempted murder and firearms violations.