Naked rape suspect taken into custody in Melbourne after hourslong standoff

MELBOURNE, Fla. — After an hourslong standoff with police in Melbourne, a man accused of attempted sexual battery surrendered and was taken into custody at a home on Eau Gallie Boulevard.

When the man came out of the residence, he was completely naked, witnesses said.

“After a final warning for him to give up, he came out, butt naked,” witness Kate VanCleef said.

Police responded to the home at about 1 p.m. when a woman ran out screaming and begging for help.

“(She) came screaming somebody was raping her,” one neighbor said. “She came in all frantic, saying he was beating her, he has a gun, that he was coming to kill her.”

The man, who has not been identified, barricaded himself inside the home and refused to communicate with police, officials said.

The West Melbourne Police Department SWAT team responded to the home and fired several rounds of tear gas, but the man continued to refuse to communicate, investigators said.

“When we could not make contact with him, we made entry into the residence, used some tear gas, and he came out peacefully, which we are very, very happy about,” Melbourne Police Department spokeswoman Lt. Cheryl Trainer said.

The woman was taken to the hospital for medical treatment.

The suspect was taken into custody for questioning.

Cox Media Group