A 37-year-old Hingham man was arrested Saturday after firing shots at SWAT team officers and barricading himself in his apartment for over three hours.

Pharaoh L. Yahtues surrendered at 12:45 p.m. and was arrested without incident. He was charged with armed assault to murder, discharging an explosive, discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building and possession of firearm without a license, among other charges. “These are preliminary and additional charges may be sought,” Hingham police said in a statement.

Hingham police responded to a call at around 6:20 a.m. Officers spoke with a woman with two children who said she saw a man with a handgun. Officers spoke to Yahtues through the apartment door, attempting to get him outside. Yahtues threatened to shoot officers through the walls and made statements about “suicide by cop,” according to a press release.


After a second 911 call, officers evacuated nearby apartments and the Metro-LEC SWAT arrived. Police issued reverse 911 calls and emergency alert text messages to residents in the area. People were told to shelter in place.

Police said Yahtues fired several shots from his apartment window at SWAT officers who were inside and around an armored SWAT vehicle. Yahtues also threw an “unexploded device” onto his patio, according to the release. After several hours of negotiations, the man agreed to surrender. The apartment was searched for additional explosives by the Mass. State Police Bomb Squad, and residents were allowed back into their homes shortly after the arrest. Hingham detectives obtained a search warrant and recovered a semi-automatic handgun hidden in a ceiling vent, according to the press release.

Yahtues had been ordered to wear a GPS tracking device that he cut off prior to Saturday’s incident. Yahtues is being held without bail and will be arraigned at Hingham District Court on Monday, Jan. 27.

Update-Area is safe. Shelter in place is now over. Investigators remain on scene at the home. Thank you tor your cooperation. Media release to follow. — Hingham Police (@HinghamPolice) January 25, 2020