Pasco Fire Captain Arrested Following Standoff

Pasco County Fire Rescue Capt. Louis Herrero has been identified as the man who barricaded himself in a Sierra Pines home in Lutz Tuesday afternoon and engaged in a standoff with Pasco County Sheriff’s deputies.

Herrero, 46, was arrested Tuesday night and accused of pointing a shotgun at deputies, the sheriff’s office announced Wednesday. Both sheriff’s deputies and fire rescue workers responded to the scene.

On Tuesday afternoon, the sheriff’s office got a call from fire rescue that Herrero was having chest pains and threatening to harm himself, said Doug Tobin, sheriff's office spokesman.

A colleague of Herrero’s had been at the residence and said that Herrero appeared to be “intoxicated” and told the colleague that someone was “after” him, Tobin said.

Herrero, who works at Station 23 in Land O’ Lakes, reportedly had a firearm pointed at the ceiling at some point prior to the deputies' arrival, according to an arrest report.

The Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team arrived at the home around 4:14 p.m. and the authorities announced shortly afterward that a man had “barricaded” himself in the home.  

The agency’s armored SWAT vehicle arrived outside the home and deputies tried to talk Herrero out of the house. 

A school bus was diverted in order to keep the children out of the area. Residents were forced to turn around at the barricade and find alternate routes to their homes while the situation was developing.

Around 6:30 p.m., Herrero walked out of his home with a shotgun. He reportedly pointed it at deputies standing in the road.

Herrero didn’t fire, according to the report. A deputy fired his gun thrice at Herrero, but the bullets missed him. Nobody was injured, and Herrero returned inside the house.

At 6:40 p.m., the SWAT Team fired tear gas into the house, Tobin said. A garage door was opened around 6:50 p.m. Herrero was apprehended using “non-lethal” tactics five minutes later, Tobin said.

“Fortunately, nobody got hurt,” Tobin said.

Herrero was charged with eight counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer with a firearm. He was in custody Wednesday.

Last year, Herrero for a profile. He told Patch he had a wife and three children and that he was from Masaryktown. He said saving lives and property was his favorite part of the job.