A Libertarian candidate for the North Carolina state Senate broadcast updates from an armed standoff with police Monday, posting from the woods as he claimed officers were pursuing him.
Jonathan D. Miller, who is seeking the seat representing North Carolina’s 16th Senate District in the Raleigh suburbs, was taken into custody Monday afternoon without shots being fired, according to WRAL.
Miller had posted Sunday night that he planned to end his life. The following morning, he continued sharing updates after officers arrived at his apartment in Cary, a town just outside Raleigh.
Miller told WRAL that he ignored an officer’s command to keep his hands away from the pistol secured at his hip before fleeing into a nearby wooded area.
“The whole police department is chasing me with guns drawn. This should be fun,” he wrote on X after running from the scene.
He later claimed he “has six shots and the high ground,” writing that while he hoped officers would not locate him, a confrontation would be “a hell of a show.”
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In a subsequent post, Miller said he had spoken with a negotiator long enough for police to surround his position. “They have dogs so I’m probably done for,” he wrote.
Miller, who identifies himself as a carpenter and former small-business owner, is challenging a Democratic incumbent and a Republican candidate in the Nov. 3 election.
During the standoff, he also called a local television station and discussed what led to his suicidal statements.
“Last night I was pretty depressed and suicidal, and I sort of put a suicide note on X, and it has gone quite viral … I spent all night crying, and angry, and upset, and depressed, and all the emotions. And this morning I was tired, but I had things I needed to do. And I didn’t kill myself,” he told WRAL.
“So I got up and made coffee … and while I was having a cigarette, a police officer approached me, knew my name, saw that I had a holstered revolver on my hip, so he drew his weapon and told me to keep my hands away from mine. I told him I was going to refuse that order, and I backed away slowly until I was far enough away from him to turn and run, and then I turned and ran into the woods,” he continued.
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.
