Fayetteville Police arrested a retired Detroit police officer following a domestic dispute and an all-night standoff at an east Fayetteville apartment complex that began before midnight on May 23.
Detective Mike Whitlow said officers at approximately 11:35 p.m. were called to a domestic argument at the Weatherly Walk apartments off Ga. Highway 54 East.
“Witnesses reported that shots had been fired during the dispute. No one was hit with gunfire but one female was injured during a physical altercation,” Whitlow said.
Whitlow said John Simon IV and his wife left the apartment after an altercation with his father, retired Detroit police officer John Meron Simon III. The son fired shots during the altercation, though the rounds were fired into a wall. It was the son and his wife who called 911 after leaving the apartment, notifying officers that weapons were in the residence, Whitlow said.
“All parties left the residence except the homeowner, John Meron Simon III. When officers tried to question Simon, he refused to exit the apartment and barricaded himself inside,” Whitlow said.
Whitlow said Fayetteville police surrounded the residence, evacuated nearby residents and activated the Fayetteville/Peachtree City Special Response Team.
“Negotiators spoke to Simon by telephone throughout the early morning hours. Simon, 67, eventually surrendered at approximately 8 a.m. on May 24 and was arrested on one count of aggravated assault-family violence and one count of obstruction,” Whitlow said.
The elder Simon was not in possession of a gun when officers entered the apartment, Whitlow said.
Simon’s son, John Meron Simon IV, 36, of Detroit, Mich., was also arrested and charged with one count of aggravated assault.
The younger Simon’s wife appeared to have minor injuries but refused treatment, Whitlow said.
Though the altercation had ended, Whitlow said officers had to enter the apartment because a physical altercation had occurred and shots had been fired.
Both men were transported to the Fayette County Jail.
Whitlow said police are still investigating the incident.
The special response team was aided by a robot and technicians from the Ga. Bureau of Investigation, said Peachtree City Police spokesman Mark Brown, adding that negotiators did a good job in talking Simon out of the apartment and thus avoiding the use of force or property damage.
