A tense standoff in a Lake Worth neighborhood ended Saturday afternoon with the arrest of a 40-year-old man now facing more than a dozen felony charges after he barricaded himself inside his home and fired a handgun at officers.
Lake Worth police responded to a welfare check call at 11:33 a.m. in the 4200 block of Canyon Trail. When officers arrived they encountered Anthony Danenza in the front yard who then retreated inside the residence and retrieved a firearm.
Danenza fired the weapon from inside the home prompting authorities to establish a safety perimeter around the property. A SWAT team and Fort Worth police officers were called in to assist as negotiators worked to bring the situation to a peaceful resolution.
Officers used loudspeakers to repeatedly demand that Danenza surrender his weapon. At one point a woman’s voice could be heard over the loudspeaker making a personal plea for him to come out safely.
Nearby residents were ordered to remain inside their homes throughout the afternoon as the standoff stretched on for hours. Neighbor Serena Ponder described growing anxiety as the heavy law enforcement presence continued to build outside.
“It actually made us more and more concerned every minute” Ponder said. “So many guns police officers and very scary.”
Multiple loud bangs were heard during the operation. A pickup truck later removed from the driveway showed visible bullet holes through its side and rear windows indicating gunfire had struck the vehicle.
The standoff came to an end around 3 p.m. following a loud bang and a cloud of smoke after which officers took Danenza into custody. No officers or civilians were reported injured.
Ponder said the experience shook the neighborhood which had never witnessed anything like it. She and her husband expressed concern not just for their own family but for everyone involved in the incident.
“People are going through so much. This is somebody’s life. We’re hoping everyone is okay” Ponder said.
Lake Worth police confirmed Danenza was booked on nine counts of aggravated assault on a peace officer and four counts of deadly conduct. All charges are felonies reflecting the severity of the threat posed during the hours-long confrontation.