HOUSTON --
A man held a SWAT team at bay for hours after investigators went to a Northeast Houston apartment complex to arrest him, detectives said.
Houston police said a Harris County Precinct 6 deputy constable was serving a felony warrant with the Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force at the Kelly Court Apartments on Grove Court near Green Street about 10 a.m.
Investigators said their suspect, Donald Bernard, 23, was wanted for assaulting a Precinct 6 deputy.
Bernard threw a ceramic dish, which hit a deputy constable in the back of the head, officials said. The deputy was taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital for stitches.
Police said Bernard barricaded himself inside the apartment. His brother, Robert, was also inside.
"Once he opened the door, he slammed the door right back in his face. Next thing you know, he started going crazy, throwing things, tearing up the house, making threats," said Robert Bernard, the suspect's brother. "I just left him alone and jumped out the window."
A SWAT team was sent to the scene and eventually entered the home.
The SWAT scene ended shortly before 2 p.m. when the suspect tried to escape through an upstairs window. Officers stopped the man with a Taser gun.
"Our understanding is that he did have a metal pipe at one point. It's my understanding when he exited the residence, he did not have anything in his hand," said Victor Senties with the Houston Police Department.
The suspect was carried out on a stretcher and his hand suffered injuries when he broke the window to escape, officials said. He was taken to a hospital for evaluation.
Family members said the man suffers from bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
"He needs help and he needs to go to the hospital to get checked out, but hopefully, he'll learn his lesson, though," Robert Bernard said.
Donald Bernard now also faces a new charge of assaulting a peace officer.
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