Standoff ends in downtown Asheville ***UPDATED 7:45 P.M.***

About 7 p.m., a two-hour standoff in downtown Asheville ended without incident, as Hilton Head, S.C.-resident Kenneth Allison surrendered peacefully. Police took Allison to Mission Hospital for evaluation and have filed commitment papers.

Around 4:30 p.m., an Asheville Police Officer pulled over Allison, who refused to leave his vehicle after he parked on Otis Street behind the RBC Centura Bank and across from the U.S. Courthouse. While attempting to negotiate with Allison, officers blocked off the streets and called in backup, including the APD’s SWAT unit, dressed in green riot gear, .

A photo taken by Ashevillean C.J. Mason during the standoff: .

Bystanders were asked to back away from vantage points. At one point, an officer shouted at an Asheville Citizen-Times photographer to get off the nearby roof after another officer said, “He’s compromising our ability to negotiate.”

Citizen-Times staffers Paul Clark and Nancy Sluder livestreamed video of the standoff from their computer room.

Allison, who had previously been arrested Aug. 18 for a standoff incident in Hilton Head, first drew the attention of APD after he went to ReMax Realty on Aug. 30 to “buy some property,” according to the local department’s official statement.

“The Remax business owner contacted police and said that Mr. Allison had been behaving strangely while working with an agent,” the statement reads. “He told police that that after being shown some properties, Mr. Allison remained in the business’ parking lot for more than an hour, apparently cleaning out his trunk.”

The Aug. 31 standoff ensued after the APD pulled Allison over “to check on his welfare” and he refused to stop.

Speaking to Xpress and other media at the scene, Capt. Daryl Fisher said it’s unlikely that charges would be filed against Allison, though he faces charges for improper use of 911 from the Hilton Head standoff. He added that the APD had established a barricade due to the fact that Allison was known to be armed in the previous standoff, and due to concerns about his mental state.

“Luckily, we had officers nearby,” Fisher told media. “Just as a precaution, we called the SWAT guys out, but we didn’t need them. He [Allison] just wanted to know what we wanted him for.

“This is exactly how I like to see it end,” he continued. “If we can speak to someone, doesn’t matter how long it takes, as long as we’re able to talk it out, that’s the best outcome.”

— David Forbes, senior news reporter

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

17 thoughts on “Standoff ends in downtown Asheville ***UPDATED 7:45 P.M.***

  1. The Trolls Troll

    btw, if the cops are blaming a photographer for “compromising our ability to negotiate,” then we’re all screwed.

  2. reasonable

    @Judge Holden
    Somewhere like Broughton with someone like nurse Ratched, probably.

  3. paul_randall

    There was absolutely no reason to block off all those streets and bring in the friggin’ SWAT unit for this crap.

  4. bobaloo

    “There was absolutely no reason to block off all those streets and bring in the friggin’ SWAT unit for this crap.”

    What else is there for them to do?

  5. reasonable

    @bobaloo
    Agreed. I wonder what those who think it was a “joke” of an operation would have done?

  6. The Trolls Troll

    the cops really can’t win. we criticize them for overreacting, yet if something bad would have happened, we would be taking them to task for not doing enough.

  7. shadmarsh

    slycos,

    It was an extra-ordinary event that happened in downtown Asheville involving: the expenditure of public funds and manpower, the disruption of vehicular and pedestrian traffic, and the public display of tighty whiteys.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.