VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A man was taken into custody Monday morning after he allegedly barricaded himself inside an apartment in Virginia Beach and fired gunshots.
Officers with the Virginia Beach Police Department (VBPD) responded to the Princess Anne Gardens Condominiums on Ivywood Road at around 6:18 a.m. where they received reports of an armed man inside an apartment that he did not live in.
The suspect, later identified as 40-year-old Joseph Switzer, allegedly began firing shots, prompting officers to evacuate residents in the area.
Sometime later, police said the Switzer came out of the apartment and was subsequently taken into custody. He was arrested on charges of shooting into an occupied dwelling, reckless handling of a firearm, possession of a schedule I/II substance and two counts of felony destruction of property.
While no one was hurt from the gunfire, some neighbors told 13News Now they were rattled by what they saw.
Charles Helms lives just feet away from where the shooting happened. Helms said he heard several gunshots at around 6 a.m.
“I got up trying to figure out what was going on. That’s when I saw police officers running around all over the place and people running out of the building next door," Helms said.
One couple, who wished to remain anonymous, told 13News Now they share a wall with the apartment where the shooting happened. The couple said bullets pierced their apartment.
They said they counted more than a dozen bullet holes in their home office. The couple said if it wasn’t Memorial Day, one of them would have been working in the room the bullets came through.
One man at the scene said he was in the apartment where the shooting happened. He said the suspect is his friend who appeared to be having a mental health episode.
VBPD also did not say what led up to the barricade situation or what prompted Switzer to ultimately exit the apartment.