Miami-Dade County Administrative Law Judge Timothy Maher was arrested last week for reportedly threatening to shoot his family members in his El Portal home. Then, yesterday, he allegedly threatened to kill someone at his federal office, which handles disability and Social Security cases. Maher's threat was serious enough that the Federal Protective Service evacuated the building.
Now, Miami-Dade County Police say Maher spent this morning barricaded inside his home in South Miami-Dade near SW 113th Avenue and SW 240th Street. The Miami Herald reported that Maher was inside the home with multiple young children and that police negotiators were trying to get him to release his 13-year-old daughter.
Herald reporter Chuck Rabin tweeted minutes ago that the cops moved into the home after hearing a gunshot — and that Maher likely committed suicide inside the house.
Miami-Dade County Police spokespeople are on the scene briefing reporters:
WATCH LIVE - Miami-Dade Police Briefing On SWAT Standoff With Miami-Dade Judge https://t.co/Lz6AaKuJHa
— CBS4 Miami (@CBSMiami) August 24, 2018
It's clear Maher, age 51, had been struggling through a personal issue for the past week. On August 15, Village of El Portal Police rushed to his home after his ex-girlfriend reported that he had pointed a gun and a rifle at both her and their children. As Maher sat outside in his car, his ex-girlfriend said, he repeatedly pointed weapons at her through the vehicle's window and said he was "going to show her what pain is about." Maher had reportedly dated the woman for four years before the pair split in April. He was charged with aggravated assault with a firearm, child abuse, and resisting arrest without violence.
At his bond court appearance, Maher claimed that he'd been smeared and that the charges were lies.
"It is astonishing to me that one person can make an accusation so fantastic and not grounded in reality that the result is me spending the night [in jail]," Maher said, per WPLG. "This is horrifically embarrassing."
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But just yesterday, the Federal Protective Service (a branch of the Department of Homeland Security) shut down the downtown federal office building at 333 S. Miami Ave. where Maher worked after colleagues claimed he had threatened to kill them too.
Earlier today, CBS 4 reporter Cayla Bush tweeted out video of SWAT officers surrounding Maher's home and asking him to confirm he was OK:
#Breaking Raw Video of SWAT Officers working to communicate with people barricaded inside a SW Miami-Dade home. @Rielletvnews has much more live on @CBSMiami pic.twitter.com/nXLvuolDE4
— Cayla Bush (@cbushnews) August 24, 2018
This is a breaking story. This post will be updated.
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