ʜɪᴄᴋᴏʀʏ: On Monday, a deputy with the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle driving recklessly on Springs Rd. The driver of that vehicle, Jose Guadalupe Orozco Lemus, brandished a firearm when the deputy approached and stated that he wanted the deputy to shoot him. This traffic stop occurred in the parking lot of a business on Springs Rd near St Stephens Fire Station 1.
Catawba County’s Special Tactics and Response (STAR) and Crisis Intervention and De-escalation Teams responded as other deputies arrived and established a perimeter. Deputies, Troopers with the North Carolina Highway Patrol and officers with the Hickory Police Department blocked Springs Rd in an effort to minimize danger to the public.
Negotiators made contact with Lemus. An investigator, fluent in Spanish, attempted to communicate with Lemus as this incident continued. Negotiations were unsuccessful.
STAR Team members used two armored cars to pin Lemus’s vehicle, preventing him from attempting to drive away. STAR Team members then used less lethal munitions to encourage Lemus to exit his vehicle. Lemus surrendered minutes later and was taken into custody without further incident.
Lemus has been taken to an area hospital for a mental health evaluation. Criminal charges are pending.
The Catawba County Sheriff’s Office appreciates the patience of our citizens attempting to travel Springs Rd as deputies worked to resolve this incident safely.
Catawba County Sheriff’s Office