OCEAN CITY — A Worcester County man remains behind bars this week on first-degree assault and other charges following a 17-hour stand-off with allied law enforcement agencies when he allegedly fired a gun in the direction of officers.
Last Saturday, a Worcester County Sheriff’s Deputy attempted to stop a vehicle for traffic violations when the vehicle, driven by Erle Tatterson, 59, of Pocomoke, led the deputy on a brief pursuit. Tatterson reportedly fled into a residence in Pocomoke as the deputy, assisted by Pocomoke Police officers, attempted to take him into custody.
Tatterson allegedly produced a firearm and pointed it at allied law enforcement officers, who took a position of cover. Tatterson then re-emerged from the residence and fired one shot from his weapon, but did not strike anything, according to police reports. Tatterson then went back inside the residence, beginning a 17-hour standoff with police. Worcester County Sheriff’s deputies were assisted during the stand-off by multiple agencies.
Negotiators were able to establish contact with Tatterson, who eventually surrendered peacefully after a 17-hour stand-off. He was taken into custody and transported to a local hospital for evaluation. The Worcester County Bureau of Investigation executed a search and seizure warrant on the residence, the results of which are not known.
As a result of the continued investigation, a warrant was issued for Tatterson, charging him with two counts of first-degree assault. Tatterson was taken into custody on Tuesday and was taken before a District Court Commissioner, who initially ordered him to be held without bond. Following a bail review hearing, Tatterson was ordered to be held on a $50,000 bond and he remained behind bars as of mid-week.
“This incident, while unfortunate, is a textbook example of cooperative law enforcement is accomplished,” Worcester County Sheriff Matt Crisafulli said. “All agencies involved worked as a single cohesive unit to ensure that the situation was concluded without injury to any person. I am proud and grateful of the professional manner in which the incident was resolved.”
