Murder suspect arrested following barricade situation in Plymouth Meeting
PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- For more than five hours on Wednesday, negotiators and SWAT teams were stationed at the front and back entrance of a house in Plymouth Meeting, remaining in position until the suspect finally gave himself up.
Philadelphia police sources say 29-year-old William Singletary was arrested following the incident in the 1900 block of Johnson Road. He was wanted in Philadelphia for murder in August of 2019.
His brother, of the same name, says he was on the phone with him for hours encouraging him to come out of the home.
"Well, he's my brother. I assured him that he would not be shot. His biggest fear was that he would be shot by police," said Willie Singletary.
Police were originally dispatched to the home to serve a search warrant for the house, which is occupied by another brother of the same name. The family has six siblings who share that name.
Nearly three hours into the barricade situation, the suspect made his way out briefly. But, within seconds, he ran back inside the home.
"Whoever arrived on scene first shot a rubber bullet. So, he ran back inside and he's in an irate condition," said Willie Singletary.
Jo-Ann Rogan was watching this all from the apartment building across the street.
"They started saying, 'Please come out with your hands up.' They were trying to serve a warrant I guess," said Rogan.
She saw people being led out by police early on but Singletary stayed behind.
"It was about nine people total and one baby," said Rogan.
"The kids and everybody were able to get out of the house. He was not holding nobody hostage," said Willie Singletary.
Action News cameras captured video of two other people being led out of the house in handcuffs. It's not clear what charges they are facing, if any.
At about 2:45 p.m. Singletary came out with his hands up for a final time.
"The cops want to ensure their safety. My job was to ensure my brother's safety, so we came up with a plan. At the end of the day there was no incident," said Willie Singletary.
