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Jonathan Miller: North Carolina state Senate candidate live-posts his armed standoff with cops; arrested after fleeing into woods
Jonathan D. Miller, the Libertarian candidate for North Carolina’s 16th Senate District in the suburbs of Raleigh, was arrested after a standoff with police.
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A North Carolina state Senate candidate live-posted his own armed standoff with police on Monday, October 26. Jonathan D. Miller, the Libertarian candidate for North Carolina’s 16th Senate District in the suburbs of Raleigh, posted shocking updates from the woods as he claimed officers were closing in on him.
Miller was taken into custody Monday afternoon with no shots fired, according to WRAL.
Miller describes himself as a carpenter and former small-business owner. He is running against a Democratic incumbent and a Republican contender in the November 3 election.
What we know about the standoff
Sunday night, October 25, Miller began posting that he intended to take his own life. He gave live updates when police arrived at his apartment in Cary, outside Raleigh, Monday morning.
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Miller refused to comply when he was ordered to keep his hands away from a pistol at his hip. He then ran into nearby woods.
“The whole police department is chasing me with guns drawn. This should be fun,” Miller wrote on X after fleeing.
Miller also posted that he “has six shots and the high ground” as officers closed in, adding that he hoped police would not find him but that a confrontation would be “a hell of a show.”
“I f—-d up and talked to the negotiator on the phone long enough for them to box me in. They have dogs so I’m probably done for,” he later wrote.
Miller called a local news station during the standoff. He also explained his reasons for the suicidal threats.
“Last night I was pretty depressed and suicidal, and I sort of put a suicide note on X, and it has gone quite viral … I spent all night crying, and angry, and upset, and depressed, and all the emotions. And this morning I was tired, but I had things I needed to do. And I didn’t kill myself,” he told WRAL.
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“So I got up and made coffee … and while I was having a cigarette, a police officer approached me, knew my name, saw that I had a holstered revolver on my hip, so he drew his weapon and told me to keep my hands away from mine. I told him I was going to refuse that order, and I backed away slowly until I was far enough away from him to turn and run, and then I turned and ran into the woods,” he added.
The Libertarian Party of North Carolina said it was “aware of the situation,” and thanked the Cary Police Department for “pursuing a solution without involving violence,” a spokesperson told the New York Post.
Discussing suicides can be triggering for some. However, suicides are preventable. If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
