A man accused of shooting three D.C. police officers who were trying to serve him a warrant on animal cruelty charges faced eviction after his dogs menaced a 2-year-old, according to his landlord's account in court documents.
Stephen Claude Rattigan, 48, was arrested after a 13-hour standoff that began when he opened fire on officers at his home in the 5000 block of Hanna Place SE early Wednesday, police say. Authorities initially gave a different name for the suspect but on Thursday morning said that Rattigan had provided a fake name.
Rattigan appeared in court Thursday and did not enter a plea. A judge ordered him held without bond and ordered a mental evaluation.
The wounded officers were released from the hospital on Thursday, and a crowd applauded as they left.
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Charges for the officers' shooting are pending.
Rattigan’s landlord was trying to evict him for failing to remove dogs from his home, court documents show.
Twenty adult dogs and 11 puppies were taken from the home after Rattigan was arrested Wednesday evening. Three Humane Rescue Alliance vans were used to transport them.
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Suspect accused of punching dog six times
Police initially went to Rattigan’s home with a warrant to arrest him as a suspect in an animal cruelty case after an officer investigated a neighbor’s complaint in January.
When the officer went to the home on Hanna Place, it smelled of urine and feces, the officer wrote in court documents.
The concerned neighbor showed the officer a video that led to the animal abuse charge.
Only on 4: Police say video shows the suspect repeatedly punch a dog in the head.
In court documents, the officer said the video shows two of the dogs approaching a child “in an excited and friendly manner,” and an adult calmly picking up the child.
The suspect “then enters the picture… and approaches one of the dogs, grabbing it and pulling it away from [the adult] and child. The dog stays, cowering from [the suspect]. [The suspect] then proceeded to punch the dog in the face six times, causing the dog to yelp each time,” the officer wrote.
A second dog nearby was not involved in the incident, the documents said.
A warrant for animal cruelty was issued under an apparent alias that Rattigan used.
New details on what officials say happened before Rattigan shot police
Court documents reveal new details on what police say happened on Wednesday. Officers knocked and said who they were but Rattigan did not come out, officials say. The officers then breached the door but did not enter, for fear of being attacked by dogs.
Rattigan then opened fire on them, police say.
He then called police himself and said he had fired warning shots at someone who was trying to get into his house. If they were there to get his dogs, they would have to kill him, he said.
Rattigan fired additional shots during the standoff because he was agitated as he waited for negotiators to bring him cigarettes, police said. Bullets hit a response truck and a neighbor’s Lexus.
Once Rattigan was taken into custody, police say they found he had a Glock handgun with an extended magazine. He had no prior criminal history, records say.
Shooting shocks Southeast DC community
A Humane Rescue Alliance employee was with police when officers tried to serve the warrant but was not hurt, the group said. It's unclear if anyone else was injured.
One D.C. police officer was shot in the hand, authorities said. Another was shot in the foot or leg, Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela A. Smith said. The third officer was struck twice, but his ballistic gear stopped the bullets, D.C. Police Union Chairman Greggory Pemberton said.
The officers were “in good spirits” and recovering from their injuries, Smith said Wednesday afternoon.
Investigators were seen walking in and out of the house Thursday morning. Bullet holes were visible in the front door, and yellow police tape was stretched across Hanna Street.
The gunfire upended daily life in the neighborhood near the border with Maryland. A swarm of police vehicles shut down multiple city blocks.
"When I say crazy, I mean crazy. I came home and they had every street blocked off," Grace Bell, a resident on Hanna Place, said.
She had to park her car farther from her home than usual because of the police response.
“I was shocked this happened on the block, but this is just something we deal with around here. We always hear gunshots. But to see the police presence, I knew it was something serious,” Bell said.
"This is a magnitude of police cars I've never seen in my life," one woman said.
“I’m grateful, I’m really grateful to the police department that they didn’t shoot him and kill him,” said Tammy Alexander, who lives two doors down from the suspect.
“I have said hi, bye to this guy with the dogs. We kinda feared the dogs, but other than that, there was no problem. He was a very nice guy,” she said.
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Young children were shuttled into school by police officers and multiple schools were put on lockdown as the suspect fired at law enforcement from time to time while he was barricaded inside his home.
“I’m outraged because my son goes right here to this school. I was coming to take him to school and wasn’t able to get through and I’m just like … I’m shocked. I’m really shocked,” another woman said.
Stay with NBC Washington for more details on this developing story.
