Baltimore Spectator Blogger, James MacArthur, Surrenders to Police After Standoff

(UPDATED) 12:12 a.m.—AF James MacArthur, who blogs as the Baltimore Spectator, live streamed negotiations during a standoff with Baltimore police in Waverly on Saturday night. MacArthur surrendered peacefully, police said.

MacArthur was involved in about a four-hour standoff with police and he broadcast the event in its entirety via his account on www.spreaker.com before surrendering.  

According to electronic court records, MacArthur was wanted for violation of probation regarding gun charges filed in 2009. Police went to his address in the 400 block of McKewin Avenue to take him into custody. When he refused to answer the door, a standoff ensued.

Eventually a police SWAT team was called to the scene because of police concerns about messages posted to MacArthur's Twitter account during the past few days.

MacArthur decried what he said was a situation taken too far by police.

"What we're seeing going on is an abuse of SWAT. I'm seeing that the Baltimore Police Department ... that because of something said on Twitter allegedly, we so quickly end up with a SWAT situation. This is highly disturbing to me as a citizen of this town. That it's so easy to get a SWAT deployment," MacArthur said.

Police negotiator Lt. Jason Yerg contacted MacArthur via cell phone. MacArthur put Yerg on speaker phone and broadcast the negotiations for his surrender.

MacArthur used the negotiations to air his grievances with Baltimore police about previous arrests as well as to convey his fears about being mistreated by police. 

"I'm going to come out. Whatever happens, happens. I'm prepared to die. That's fine," he said.

At about 11 p.m. MacArthur agreed to exit his house and surrender to police, leaving his listeners with a recording of Rep. Ron Paul’s farewell address to Congress.

"Folks, this is it. This is James MacArthur. I"m going out peacefully. I'm going to put a (music) clip in place and after that it will just be dead air," MacArthur said before ending his broadcast.

"I thank everybody for listening. I ask some of you, don't abandon me after this. I have absolutely been railroaded. I'm going to need some help after this ... those with legal expertise. We don't need this kind of stuff to go on ... This is a bunch of nonsense."

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Patch editor Nayana Davis contributed to this story.