Report of armed carjacking led to investigation, SWAT at Fort Lauderdale apartment complex
FORT LAUDERDALE - A possible kidnapping led to a large police investigation, that involved a SWAT team, at a Fort Lauderdale complex overnight.
According to police, around 9:30 p.m. Thursday they received a call about a man claiming he needed help. They said officers made contact with him in the area of NE 18 Street and "obtained information that he had possibly been carjacked and kidnapped at gunpoint."
The man was taken to a hospital with what were described as non-life-threatening injuries.
A short time later, during their search for a suspect, police and the SWAT team descended on an apartment complex in the 1100 block of NE 18 Street.
The police presence, which lasted for hours, kept several people out of their homes. Several neighbors said they heard officers trying to get someone to come out of one of the apartments with their hands up. Others said they were shocked by what was taking place.
"I never feel unsafe walking around the neighborhood or anything like that. I go out in the wee hours fairly frequently and I've never seen anything like this happen," said Nilo Sudbrack.
Officers eventually entered the apartment. Police have not said if anyone was taken into custody. They did, however, remove several items which were placed in envelopes and boxes.
According to a statement from the police, "This remains an active investigation as we continue to gather information to confirm the circumstances surrounding this incident."