A chaotic scene inside a Lincoln apartment building Monday morning. The Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office says a man deliberately set a fire during a standoff at the Bridgeport Apartments near 15th and Hilltop.
Chief Deputy Ben Houchen says 39 year old Veonta Hopper was wanted on a recent Lancaster County Court warrant for two counts of Sexual Assault of a Child in the 1st degree. Law enforcement contacted Hopper in a lower level apartment and he barricaded himself inside a bathroom in the apartment. Houchen says law enforcement negotiated with Hopper for nearly two hours when they observed smoke and fire coming from under the bathroom door.
At that point they made entry and tried to take Hopper into custody. Houchen says he resisted arrest and hampered law enforcement’s efforts to get him safely out of the apartment that was filled with smoke. Law enforcement was able to take Hopper into custody, put the fire out with their extinguishers and help evacuate the apartment building to ensure no one else was injured.
Hopper was treated at the scene by Lincoln Fire and Rescue and subsequently transported to the hospital with smoke inhalation and minor abrasions. When released, he will be taken to jail on the warrant and faces other charges connected to the current investigation.
In addition to Hopper, two law enforcement members were treated at the scene and transported to the hospital for smoke inhalation and other injuries. None of the injuries are believed to be life threatening. The Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate this incident.