Police use ‘flashbang’ to arrest man who trapped kids: Cops
Background: The entrance into Chambers Drive in Matthews, North Carolina (Google Maps). Inset: Tyrone Jenkins (Matthews Police Department).
Law enforcement in North Carolina had to request backup when a man who had allegedly hurt his wife refused to let his children leave their home, authorities say.
Tyrone Jenkins, 44, stands charged with four felony counts of false imprisonment, as well as four counts of child abuse, domestic violence, and resisting a public officer, all misdemeanors. The incident unfolded on Thursday, as officers with the Matthews Police Department arrived to a home regarding a report of a domestic disturbance.
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It was just after 4:30 p.m. when officers pulled into Chambers Drive and arrived at the home on the 1700 block, according to a press release issued by the police department.
Officers say they saw a woman standing outside with “visible physical injuries.”
“She stated that her husband had assaulted her and had been holding her in their home against her will,” police added in the press release.
The woman then identified her husband as Jenkins, law enforcement said. Officers then learned the husband was still inside the residence with their four children — and “had two outstanding felony arrest warrants.”
Jenkins is said to have briefly come outside but then immediately reentered the home and locked the door, police claim. Officers then requested backup, including a special response team, and “quickly established a perimeter around the residence to monitor activity inside the home,” according to the press release.
A Matthews Police Department negotiator was able to call Jenkins and “convince him to allow his four children to safely exit the residence so that officers could reunite them with their mother,” the department stated.
But still, the suspect allegedly would not surrender.
As officers began to enter the residence to arrest him, Jenkins finally emerged, but he reportedly “continued to refuse to comply with the officers” commands,” police time. Because of this alleged “continued non-compliance,” police “deployed a non-lethal disorientation device better known as a ‘Flashbang,’ causing Jenkins to “immediately surrender” and be taken into custody.
No injuries were reported.
Jenkins was booked into the Mecklenburg County Jail and made his first appearance in court on Friday. Court records show he is next due to appear in court on Jan. 22, 2026.
Matthews is a suburb of Charlotte, North Carolina, located just south of the major city.
