UPPER WEST SIDE — A man who repeatedly punched his longtime girlfriend in the face and then refused to leave his room when police arrived at his apartment forced a two-hour standoff with the NYPD that required the department's Hostage Negotiations Team to intervene, police said.
Darrell Turner, 34, punched his 45-year-old girlfriend in the face several times Wednesday afternoon before she burst into the hallway of the apartment building, an affordable housing complex at 308 W. 94th St. where the two lived together, screaming for help, said Capt. Marlon Larin of the 24th Precinct.
When police responded around 1:35 p.m., Turner had locked himself inside the apartment and refused to come out, Larin said.
The NYPD's Hostage Negotiations Team was brought in, along with other backup units, to try to coax Turner out, he said.
"Through the door, he said, 'I refuse to come out. I want my lawyer first. I know my rights,'" Larin said.
Because Turner remained at the door talking to negotiators, police were not forced to take other measures, like knocking down the door, Larin explained. Police also knew that Turner was alone inside, he said.
The negotiation lasted two hours, at which point Turner voluntarily came out of the apartment, Larin noted.
"We waited him out...It was an exercise in restraint," he said.
Turner was taken to St. Luke's-Roosevelt hospital for a mental evaluation and has been charged with assault. He had not yet been arraigned as of Thursday morning, according to Manhattan District Attorney's office.
When EMS personnel reached the victim, whose name police did not provide, she had swelling on her face but refused medical treatment, Larin said.
The couple had lived together at St. Louis Hall for five years and dated for 11, he added.
