Barricaded Man Arrested After 4-Hour Negotiation: Fairfield PD

FAIRFIELD, CT — A Stamford man was arrested after barricading himself inside a Fairfield home for four hours following a domestic dispute on Tuesday night, according to police.

Fairfield police received a 911 call around 10:15 p.m. from a victim reporting a domestic altercation on Kings Highway. The victim was able to make it out of the home and call police, according to Lt. Antonio Granata.

Arriving officers saw several windows around the home “were actively being shattered by a man on the second floor of the home,” according to Granata.

The man was identified as Derek Pflueger, 40, who refused to come out of the home and continued to damage property inside, Granata said.

Trained police negotiators and members from the Fairfield Emergency Services Unit were called to the scene after Pflueger made several threats to harm himself, according to Granata.

After four hours of negotiations, Pflueger surrendered and was taken into custody without incident, Granata said.

Police found that Pflueger violated a protective order where he was banned from being near the victim’s home, according to Granata. He also caused extensive damage inside the home and was charged with criminal mischief and disorderly conduct, Granata said. He is scheduled to appear in court on Dec. 3.

“We are thankful for the quick thinking of the victim, who got herself to a safe location and called for help,” Fairfield Police Chief Christopher Lyddy said in a statement. “After it was established that this was an isolated incident with no threat to neighbors and other innocent bystanders, we were able to let our trained negotiators and time do the job. Thankfully no one was injured.”