A 45-year-old New Jersey man is now in custody following a police standoff which lasted for over six hours at a beachside hotel, forcing the building’s evacuation and the disruption of traffic along North Atlantic Avenue.
David B. Allen – an Atlantic City resident – will face numerous charges in today’s (September 21st) incident at the Ocean Breeze Club (640 North Atlantic Avenue).
Volusia County emergency dispatchers received a call around 7:30 this morning indicating that Allen was making suicidal threats and throwing furniture inside the fifth-floor hotel room he was in onto the balcony (pictured).
A public address system was utilized during the standoff because hostage negotiators had difficulty communicating with Allen over the phone.
Drone footage obtained by the Daytona Beach Police Department (DBPD)’s Unmanned Aviation Unit confirmed the furniture on the balcony. It also confirmed that a hand grenade Allen had in his possession was not operational.
Prior to confirming that the grenade was not operational, DBPD commanders at the scene decided to evacuate the hotel for safety reasons after witnesses confirmed seeing a grenade in Allen’s possession.
At various points during the standoff, Allen refused to leave his room to talk to police and threatened to detonate the grenade should officers attempt to force their way inside.
Initial reports of a woman being held hostage in the room with Allen appear to be unfounded. Allen was the only person found in the room by police.
Officers eventually took Allen into custody around 1 p.m. after luring him out of the room with a can of soda that he had requested. There was Taser deployment during the takedown.
Units with Volusia County Beach Safety and the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad assisted DBPD during this effort.