PORT ST LUCIE, Fla. — New body camera footage from Port St. Lucie police shows the tense moments when a man was arrested after barricading himself inside a home on Thursday, creating a SWAT situation.
Port St Lucie Police Assistant Chief Leo Niemczyk said officers went to serve Joshua Valdes, 35, a warrant for possession of multiple pornographic images of young children.
Niemczyk said Valdes was exchanging the child pornography with someone in Indianapolis, and said officers are investigating whether there are victims locally.
"Preying on children is probably the most egregious thing a person can do, in my opinion," Niemczyk said. "And in this situation, just by possessing and exchanging that, you're promoting the business. But the possibility of being involved in the production is a whole other circumstance."
WATCH: Port St. Lucie police take child porn suspect into custody
Niemczyk said when officers arrived to Valdes' home in the 3100 block of Southwest Watson Court on Thursday, Valdes barricaded himself inside the home in the attic.
Niemczyk said a SWAT team responded and used gas to get Valdes out of the attic and into the lower portion of the house.
Body camera footage released to WPTV shows Valdes hiding under a bed. In the video, officers are heard yelling, "Let me see your hands!" at Valdes over and over, who then places his hands out in front of him.
A few minutes later in the video, officers can be seen arresting Valdes and escorting him out of the bedroom. Niemczyk said Valdes was not armed at the time.
Valdes is now charged with 17 counts of child pornography. As of Friday, he has not bonded out of jail. His bond was set at more than $300,000.
