According to authorities, a man who had allegedly harmed his wife refused to let his children leave their home, prompting law enforcement to seek assistance.
Tyrone Jenkins, 44, is charged with four felony counts of false imprisonment and four misdemeanor counts of child abuse, domestic violence, and resisting a public officer. The incident occurred on Thursday, when Matthews Police Department officers arrived at a home to investigate a report of a domestic disturbance.
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Officers pulled into Chambers Drive shortly after 4:30 p.m. and arrived at the home on the 1700 block, according to a police department press release.
Officers reported seeing a woman standing outside with “visible physical injuries.”
“She stated that her husband assaulted her and had been holding her in their home against her will,” police said in a press release.
According to police, the woman later identified her husband as Jenkins. Officers discovered the husband was still inside the house with their four children — and “had two outstanding felony arrest warrants.”
According to police, Jenkins briefly left the house before returning inside and locking the door. Officers then requested additional assistance, including a special response team, and “quickly established a perimeter around the residence to monitor activity inside the home,” according to the press release.
A negotiator from the Matthews Police Department was able to contact Jenkins and “convince him to allow his four children to safely exit the residence so that officers could reunite them with their mother,” according to the department.
However, the suspect allegedly refused to surrender.
As officers began to enter the home to arrest Jenkins, he eventually emerged, but he reportedly “continued to refuse to comply with the officers’ commands,” according to police. Due to the alleged “continued non-compliance,” police “deployed a non-lethal disorientation device better known as a ‘Flashbang,’ causing Jenkins to “immediately surrender” and be taken into custody.”
There were no injuries reported.
Jenkins was booked into Mecklenburg County Jail and made his first court appearance on Friday. According to court records, his next appearance is scheduled for January 22, 2026.
Matthews is a suburb of Charlotte, North Carolina, just south of the city.
