Press release:
On Monday, Nov. 18 at approximately 1:18 p.m., the Genesee County Dispatch Center received a domestic call at 209 Liberty St.
The caller reported that an intoxicated male struck a female and the male was in possession of a sword. It was also reported that the female was able to escape the residence.
Officers from the Batavia Police Department arrived on scene and encountered the male, who had barricaded himself inside the residence. The female was located and found safe at a neighbor’s home.
The suspect, who remained inside the house, began shooting at officers with a BB rifle.
Immediately, the Batavia Police Department set up a perimeter around the residence and neighbors were told to shelter in place. The Batavia City School District was informed of the incident so appropriate measures could be taken to ensure the safety of the students, including students attending the Jackson Primary School, located a few blocks away.
Batavia Police negotiators were called to the scene along with the Batavia Police Emergency Response Team (ERT), the New York State Police, and the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office / K-9 Unit and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation K-9 Unit.
Negotiators were able to make verbal contact with the suspect who was identified as Daniel Wolfe, 45, who resided at 209 Liberty St. in the upstairs apartment. Wolfe repeatedly told negotiators that he wanted officers to kill him. He refused officers' commands to come out of the house.
The Genesee County Sheriff’s K-9 handler attempted to send "Frankie" inside to safely take Wolfe into custody. Wolfe then attempted to slash Frankie with a knife, and the handler pulled Frankie back to safety.
Wolfe continued to tell officers throughout the incident that he wanted officers to kill him, and he threatened to shoot officers.
Several options were tried to get Wolfe to surrender that included the launching of chemical agents into the residence and the use of robots/drones to determine where he was in the residence. Other negotiating and swat teams were called in to assist.
After approximately 20 hours, Wolfe exited the residence and surrendered to Detective Sargent Kevin Czora of the Batavia Police Department.
Wolfe was transported to Strong Memorial Hospital for injuries he sustained during the incident. These injuries were self-inflicted. All officers on the scene and civilians in the neighborhood were unharmed during this incident.
Wolfe was later released from Strong hospital, at which time he was arrested by Batavia Police Department on charges of first-degree criminal contempt, two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, menacing, 2nd, and harassment, 2nd.
Wolfe was arraigned in Batavia City Court on Nov. 19 and is being held without bail at the Genesee County Jail. He will reappear in Batavia City Court at 11 a.m. tomorrow (Nov. 21). Additional charges are pending.
The Batavia Police Department would like to thank: the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office; Orleans County SWAT; New York State Police troopers; negotiators; drone unit; K-9 unit; and SORT teams; the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation K-9 Unit; Monroe County Crisis Negotiating Team; Genesee County Emergency Management; Genesee County Dispatch Center; City of Batavia Fire Department; Mercy EMS; and the numerous citizens who supported the efforts, both on the scene and in the days following this incident.
Photos: Top photo: still from the video shot yesterday of Wolfe and Det. Kevin Czora and an unidentified plainclothes State Trooper slowly walking Wolfe from the apartment where he had been barricaded to a waiting ambulance. Bottom photo, still from a previously unreleased portion of the video where Wolfe turned to look down the street, and pulled back slightly, as Czora and the trooper tried to coax him into the ambulance.
