Man surrenders after three-hour standoff

PANAMA CITY — A tense three-hour standoff between police and a Panama City man wielding a sword barricaded in a bedroom with his 4-year-old son came to a peaceful end Monday.

Panama City police officers arrived at the home of Kevin Richard Hicks, 38, at 1407 Wilmont Ave. Monday at about 10:30 p.m. for a domestic battery complaint. Hicks’ girlfriend reported that, after a dispute in which alcohol played a factor, he became violent. Hicks pushed her down in the bathroom, causing her to strike the toilet with her face before strangling her while hitting the back of her head on the bathroom floor, she told officers.

After Hicks took the girlfriend’s phone and went to the kitchen, she fled to a neighbor’s to call police. Hicks barricaded the front and side door of the home before retreating to a bedroom, with the 4-year-old son, where he barricaded himself.

Officers made contact with Hicks through the closed door and began hostage negotiations for him to give up and come out. Hicks told officers that he had a sword and was not coming out without a fight. Hicks said several times to aim high and just shoot him through the door, police reported.

During more than three hours of negotiations that followed, Hicks’ ramblings became incoherent and ranged from “an honorable death is a good death,” to “go shoot down another airliner in Malaysia,” according to police reports.

Negotiators and detectives were able to defuse the situation and Hicks peacefully exited the bedroom. The child was found in the room unharmed. Investigators located the sword in the closet of the bedroom.

Hicks was taken to the Bay County Jail and charged with felony battery by strangulation, domestic battery, child abuse (mental), and three counts of resisting an officer without violence.