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An unhinged North Carolina state Senate candidate live-posted his own armed standoff with cops Monday, posting alarming updates from the woods as he claimed officers were closing in on him.
Jonathan D. Miller, the Libertarian candidate for North Carolina’s 16th Senate District in the suburbs of Raleigh, was taken into custody Monday afternoon with no shots fired, WRAL reported.
Miller began posting Sunday night that he intended to take his own life — then gave live updates when cops showed up to his apartment in Cary, outside Raleigh, Monday morning.
Miller refused an order to keep his hands away from a pistol at his hip and then ran into some nearby woods, he told WRAL.
“The whole police department is chasing me with guns drawn. This should be fun,” he wrote on X after fleeing.
Miller posted that he “has six shots and the high ground” as officers closed in, adding that he hoped police wouldn’t find him but that a confrontation would be “a hell of a show.”
“I f—-d up and talked to the negotiator on the phone long enough for them to box me in. They have dogs so I’m probably done for,” he later wrote.
Miller, who describes himself as a carpenter and former small-business owner, is running against a Democratic incumbent and a Republican contender in the Nov. 3 election.
He called a local news station during the standoff and explained his reasons for the suicidal threats.
“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.