Release updated on 10-25-22 at 5:57 a.m.

The SWAT team removed the child safely and took the suspect into custody after a four hour stand-off. A brief video is attached of the SWAT team with the child. His face has been blurred.

Gandy Blvd. is now partially open to traffic in both directions. One lane remains blocked eastbound.

Summary:
At 11:39 p.m. Monday, Matthew Perkins, age 32, DOB 4-18-90, had a domestic dispute at a home in the 1900 block of Norfolk Street N. He took a three year old boy and fled the scene in a pick up truck.

With the assistance of the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office helicopter, officers were able to locate him on Gandy Blvd. He crashed the truck and became lodged under the I-275 overpass on Gandy. Police closed all lanes of Gandy in both directions for several hours.

For four hours, he refused to negotiate with police. The SWAT team was called up and deployed SPOT ,the robotic dog, to attempt to make contact with him.

At about 4:30 a.m., there was heightened concern for the welfare of the child, and officers moved in to extract the child and arrest Perkins.

He was taken into custody and the situation was resolved with no injuries. Perkins faces a number of charges including false imprisonment, aggravated child abuse, and aggravated assault.

Release updated on 10-25-22 at 4:17 a.m.

PIO will meet media at the Wawa on Gandy just east of US 19.

Release posted on 10-25-22 at 3:27 a.m.

Police are at the scene of a barricaded man with a young child. He is inside of a pick up truck that crashed on Gandy Blvd. underneath I-275.

All lanes of Gandy Blvd., east and west are closed at that location to traffic.

This incident began as a domestic incident at a home in the 1900 block of Norfolk St. N., in St.Petersburg.

PIO is headed to the scene and will meet media west of the scene.