SECU Branch Manager Taken Hostage Unharmed
Employees and members safely evacuate the building after a suspect fires multiple shots.
A police investigation closed a branch of the $40 billion State Employees Credit Union on Friday after an armed man walked into the Pittsboro, N.C. branch, fired shots and held the branch manager against his will on Thursday afternoon, according to a Pittsboro police statement.
One of the charges against the suspect, Kevin Francis Laliberte, 54, of Pittsboro, indicates he fired 15 rounds. The branch manager, who was not identified by police, was unharmed.
Police were called to the scene at 11:43 a.m.
Other employees and members, who were also not harmed, evacuated the building and were later moved to a safe location at a nearby business. Pittsboro police officers, and officers from the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office and the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, surrounded the branch.
During the standoff, the Chatham County Sheriff’s Special Incident Response Team and Negotiations Unit arrived at the scene.
Laliberte told negotiators that he would only talk with NCSHP Trooper Rodney Cook.
Cook worked with Chatham County Sheriff negotiators who negotiated the suspect’s surrender. Trooper Cook, aided by CCSO officers, managed to take Laliberte into custody without incident.
The suspect, who is being held at Chatham County jail, was charged with 15 counts of discharging a weapon into occupied property, two counts of possession of a firearm by a felon, one count of second-degree kidnapping and one count of injury to real property. Laliberte’s bond was set at $1 million. He is scheduled for a hearing in Chatham County District Court on Sept. 25.
The case remains under investigation and additional charges may be filed, according to Pittsboro police.
“I would like to express how grateful I am for all the cooperation and assistance the PPD received from all law enforcement agencies, emergency responders and the support of the community during this incident,” Pittsboro Police Chief Percy T. Crutchfield said. “We are very grateful that no one was injured, and the suspect was taken into custody without incident. This is largely due to Trooper Cook’s professionalism and the reputation he has as a law enforcement officer.”