RALEIGH -- The Raleigh Police Special Entry Unit peacefully persuaded a woman who had threatened to hurt herself to leave a hotel room Sunday morning, an outcome that differed greatly from a Feb. 6 incident in which a Raleigh officer was shot and the man he was trying to reach killed himself.
The woman, whose identity was not immediately disclosed, was turned over to Johnston County sheriff's deputies who were looking for her Saturday night, police said. Johnston County authorities came to the Best Western hotel at 2715 Capital Blvd. on Sunday after Raleigh police called them.
Raleigh police evacuated nearby hotel guests from their rooms, which is standard procedure when officers cannot be sure a situation will remain safe.
Police did not say if they found any weapons after the woman surrendered. They would not disclose Sunday morning how they knew she was in the hotel.
On Feb. 6, a similar situation had a different result. Selective Enforcement Unit officer A.W. Young was hit several times after Steven G. Meyer had barricaded himself in an apartment at 9321 Bothwell St. in the Brier Creek area. Meyer later shot himself, police said.
Meyer earlier had told a mental health worker he "wanted to strap a bomb to himself and go to city center and take someone out." After failing to talk Meyer into coming out, police were forcing their way into the apartment when Young was shot.
Young was released from the hospital late last week and is expected to make a full recovery, said Raleigh police spokesman Jim Sughrue.
